Leonteq Securities AG Takes Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 9,557 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,247,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AWK. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its holdings in American Water Works by 71.7% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 194 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Westfuller Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AWK shares. Bank of America decreased their price objective on American Water Works from $147.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. UBS Group decreased their price objective on American Water Works from $149.00 to $137.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 price objective on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Truist Financial started coverage on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. They set a “hold” rating and a $137.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given 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 target price of $138.56.

American Water Works Stock Performance

Shares of AWK opened at $123.89 on Friday. 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 50-day moving average of $132.62 and a 200-day moving average of $131.31. The company has a market cap of $24.19 billion, a PE ratio of 21.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.64. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $121.28 and a one year high of $147.87.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.05 earnings per share. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict 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 will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be given a $0.895 dividend. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. This is a positive change from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 63.48%.

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.