Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Purchases 1,680 Shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. lifted its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 10.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,430 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,680 shares during the period. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $2,424,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lifted its stake in American Water Works by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 4,679 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in American Water Works by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 2,795 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in American Water Works by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,607 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in American Water Works by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,726 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in American Water Works by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 6,157 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $908,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Trading Down 0.8%

AWK opened at $142.62 on Friday. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.74 and a twelve month high of $155.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company has a fifty day moving average of $140.71 and a 200-day moving average of $141.98. The stock has a market cap of $27.82 billion, a PE ratio of 25.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.70.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.05). American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 21.91%.The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.42 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. American Water Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.700-5.750 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th were given a dividend of $0.8275 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 12th. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is 59.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Cowen initiated coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $141.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Argus upped their price target on shares of American Water Works from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $145.75.

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.