Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for AWK Earnings

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q3 2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of American Water Works in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, October 29th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $1.83 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.82. The consensus estimate for American Water Works' current full-year earnings is $5.27 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for American Water Works' Q4 2024 earnings at $1.09 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $5.28 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $1.05 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.92 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.23 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.59 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.10 EPS.

AWK has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on American Water Works in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of American Water Works to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of American Water Works from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $127.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Mizuho cut American Water Works from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $131.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $140.00.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.3 %

American Water Works stock traded up $0.41 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $136.21. 161,242 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,188,301. The firm has a market cap of $26.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.66, a PEG ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.64. American Water Works has a 52-week low of $113.34 and a 52-week high of $150.68. The company's 50-day moving average is $142.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.10.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 9.60% and a net margin of 21.93%. American Water Works's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Water Works

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of American Water Works in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 100.0% during the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 254 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in American Water Works in the first quarter valued at about $41,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 260.2% during the first quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 389 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Martha Clark Goss sold 710 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.85, for a total value of $101,423.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,268,308. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

American Water Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.25%. American Water Works's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.32%.

About American Water Works

American Water Works Company, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,700 communities in 14 states serving approximately 3.5 million active customers. The company serves residential customers; commercial customers, including food and beverage providers, commercial property developers and proprietors, and energy suppliers; fire service and private fire customers; industrial customers, such as large-scale manufacturers, mining, and production operations; public authorities comprising government buildings and other public sector facilities, such as schools and universities; and other utilities and community water and wastewater systems.