American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) Rating Lowered to Market Perform at Huntington

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) was downgraded by equities researchers at Huntington from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report released on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. Huntington also issued estimates for American Water Works’ Q4 2026 earnings at $1.47 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $6.09 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.09 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.67 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.27 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.54 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $6.58 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $1.18 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $1.81 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $2.60 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $7.12 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of American Water Works from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Mizuho set a $149.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Friday, October 30th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of American Water Works from $162.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $139.00 target price on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Water Works has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $139.86.

American Water Works Price Performance

NYSE AWK opened at $149.43 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $136.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $132.67. American Water Works has a 52-week low of $120.57 and a 52-week high of $149.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $29.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.90, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.56.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Water Works

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lido Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in American Water Works by 71.2% during the third quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 11,753 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,578,000 after purchasing an additional 4,887 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 68.9% in the third quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 48,579 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,290,000 after purchasing an additional 19,810 shares in the last quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC grew its position in American Water Works by 11.3% in the third quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 51,373 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,953,000 after purchasing an additional 5,196 shares in the last quarter. Alpha Family Trust acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the 3rd quarter valued at $179,000. Finally, M&G PLC increased its stake in American Water Works by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. M&G PLC now owns 927,898 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $119,699,000 after buying an additional 46,551 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

Key American Water Works News

Here are the key news stories impacting American Water Works this week:

• Positive Sentiment: West Virginia American Water announced an $850,000 infrastructure project on Old Route 38 in Fayetteville, following a separate $700,000 project in Glen Jean. The investments support ongoing system upgrades, though their direct financial impact is likely limited. West Virginia American Water Announces $850,000 Infrastructure Investment Project on Old Route 38 West Virginia American Water Announces $700,000 Infrastructure Project in Glen Jean
• Positive Sentiment: Huntington Securities forecasts EPS of $6.58 for FY2027 and $7.12 for FY2028, suggesting continued earnings growth. Its FY2026 estimate of $6.09 is in line with the cited consensus, so the forecasts are supportive but not a clear near-term earnings upgrade. American Water Works earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street brokerages collectively rated AWK “Hold,” indicating a broadly cautious or balanced view rather than a strong bullish or bearish consensus. American Water Works Company, Inc. Stock Rated “Hold” by Wall Street Brokerages

American Water Works Company Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc is a public water and wastewater utility that provides essential services to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers. Through its regulated businesses, the company supplies drinking water, collects and treats wastewater, and manages related infrastructure, including treatment plants, pipelines, storage facilities and customer service systems.

Founded in 1886, American Water has grown into one of the largest water and wastewater service providers in the United States.