Hsbc Holdings PLC Increases Stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 13.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 484,339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 56,980 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $63,223,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 71.7% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 194 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in American Water Works by 82.6% in the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 199 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Nemes Rush Group LLC acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.0%

American Water Works stock opened at $125.08 on Tuesday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $120.57 and a 1-year high of $147.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The stock has a market cap of $24.42 billion, a PE ratio of 22.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.62. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $127.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.46.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.09). American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 21.17%.The business had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.05 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th were issued a $0.895 dividend. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. This is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 12th. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on AWK shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on American Water Works from $147.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of American Water Works from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 29th. UBS Group raised shares of American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $137.00 to $140.00 in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of American Water Works from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Water Works currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.11.

American Water Works Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc (NYSE: AWK) is a publicly traded utility company that provides water and wastewater services in the United States. Its core business is the operation, management and maintenance of regulated water and wastewater systems that deliver potable water, collect and treat wastewater, and provide related customer services to residential, commercial and industrial customers as well as municipalities. The company’s operations include water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, meter reading and billing, emergency repairs, and long-term infrastructure planning and capital project execution.

In addition to its regulated utility operations, American Water offers complementary nonregulated services and solutions that support system reliability and customer needs.