Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Outlook for AWK Earnings

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) – Zacks Research boosted their Q4 2024 earnings estimates for shares of American Water Works in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, November 20th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the utilities provider will post earnings of $1.10 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.09. The consensus estimate for American Water Works’ current full-year earnings is $5.27 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for American Water Works’ Q2 2025 earnings at $1.51 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.90 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.21 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $5.67 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.18 EPS and Q3 2026 earnings at $2.09 EPS.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Wolfe Research raised shares of American Water Works to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of American Water Works from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Water Works has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $142.29.

American Water Works Trading Down 1.1 %

AWK opened at $137.31 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $140.05 and a 200 day moving average of $137.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. American Water Works has a 12 month low of $113.34 and a 12 month high of $150.68. The firm has a market cap of $26.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.70.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wulff Hansen & CO. boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 12,816.0% during the second quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 1,464,674 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $189,177,000 after purchasing an additional 1,453,334 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in American Water Works by 1,131.1% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,438,137 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $210,313,000 after acquiring an additional 1,321,320 shares in the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment increased its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 4,227.0% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 711,927 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 695,474 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 14,944.4% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 537,987 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $786,750,000 after acquiring an additional 534,411 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of American Water Works by 631.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 445,788 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $65,192,000 after acquiring an additional 384,836 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of American Water Works stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at $5,268,308. The trade was a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a $0.765 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.59%.

American Water Works Company Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,700 communities in 14 states serving approximately 3.5 million active customers. The company serves residential customers; commercial customers, including food and beverage providers, commercial property developers and proprietors, and energy suppliers; fire service and private fire customers; industrial customers, such as large-scale manufacturers, mining, and production operations; public authorities comprising government buildings and other public sector facilities, such as schools and universities; and other utilities and community water and wastewater systems.