American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Stock: New Mexico Educational Retirement Board Grows Position

New Mexico Educational Retirement Board raised its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 71.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,600 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,900 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $2,149,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new position in American Water Works during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in American Water Works in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its holdings in American Water Works by 73.1% in the 3rd quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in American Water Works during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $149.48 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $29.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.91, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $120.57 and a 12-month high of $153.69. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $137.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.15.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The utilities provider reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by ($0.04). American Water Works had a net margin of 21.26% and a return on equity of 10.14%. The company had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.94 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 12th will be paid a $0.8950 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 12th. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AWK shares. Truist Financial set a $139.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. UBS Group cut American Water Works from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $153.00 to $162.00 in a report on Friday, November 6th. Argus raised their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $144.12.

Key Headlines Impacting American Water Works

Investors following AWK have been watching these headlines:

• Positive Sentiment: Argus raised its price target on AWK to $165 from $155 and reiterated a “buy” rating. The higher target signals improved analyst optimism and implies about 10.4% upside from the cited $149.48 share price. Argus rating information
• Neutral Sentiment: West Virginia American Water announced a $165,000 infrastructure upgrade, while Virginia and Maryland subsidiaries shared water-service tips. These local operating updates are small or informational and are unlikely to move the parent company’s stock materially. West Virginia infrastructure project Virginia water-service tips Maryland water-service tips
• Neutral Sentiment: Foundation grants for STEM education and student footwear are community-benefit initiatives, but are not expected to have a meaningful near-term effect on AWK’s financial results. Putnam Museum grant Clinton student grant

American Water Works Company Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc. is a U.S. water and wastewater utility that provides services to residential, commercial, industrial, and public-sector customers. Its operations include treating and distributing drinking water, collecting and treating wastewater, and maintaining the infrastructure needed to deliver those services. The company operates regulated water and wastewater utilities across multiple states, serving communities in regions including the Northeast, Midwest, and South. Through contracted operations, it also provides water and wastewater services to certain military installations and municipal customers.