Castlefield Investment Partners LLP Acquires New Shares in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Castlefield Investment Partners LLP bought a new position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 30,317 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,989,000. American Water Works makes up about 2.7% of Castlefield Investment Partners LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 82.7% during the fourth quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC now owns 21,430 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,797,000 after purchasing an additional 9,698 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the first quarter valued at $1,347,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its holdings in American Water Works by 73.8% in the fourth quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 25,338 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,307,000 after purchasing an additional 10,760 shares during the period. Capital Innovations LLC bought a new position in American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $4,700,000. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH raised its position in American Water Works by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 69,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,142,000 after purchasing an additional 14,363 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Performance

AWK stock opened at $135.66 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $132.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $131.54. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $120.57 and a 1-year high of $147.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market cap of $26.96 billion, a PE ratio of 23.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.60.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.08. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 21.35%.The company had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.48 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be given a dividend of $0.895 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AWK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Barclays raised their price objective on American Water Works from $124.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Mizuho upped their target price on American Water Works from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Truist Financial set a $139.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Water Works currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.78.

About American Water Works

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.