Korea Investment CORP Takes Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Korea Investment CORP purchased a new position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 10,601 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,395,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in American Water Works during the second quarter worth $2,712,173,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 3,274.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,092,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $925,605,000 after purchasing an additional 6,882,575 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the 4th quarter worth $337,004,000. GQG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 64.2% during the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 6,493,161 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $847,361,000 after purchasing an additional 2,539,683 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of American Water Works by 383.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,596,125 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $361,355,000 after purchasing an additional 2,058,656 shares during the period. 86.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Water Works Trading Down 1.7%

NYSE:AWK opened at $137.58 on Wednesday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $120.57 and a 52-week high of $145.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $133.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $131.73. The company has a market capitalization of $27.34 billion, a PE ratio of 23.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60.

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

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be given a $0.895 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 is currently 62.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AWK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Water Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of American Water Works from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Barclays boosted their price target on American Water Works from $124.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on American Water Works from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $138.78.

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.