Wall Street Zen Upgrades American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) to “Sell”

Posted by Brian Himes on Aug 5th, 2026

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK – Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on AWK. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of American Water Works from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $131.00 price target on American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price target on American Water Works from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Two equities research analysts have 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 MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.90.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on AWK

American Water Works Stock Up 2.2%

AWK stock opened at $134.16 on Monday. American Water Works has a 1-year low of $120.57 and a 1-year high of $147.87. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $129.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $131.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.60.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.08. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 21.35%.The firm had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.48 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly 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. Equities analysts forecast that American Water Works will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Water Works

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its stake in American Water Works by 71.7% during the 4th 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. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in American Water Works during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of American Water Works by 82.6% during the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 199 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the first quarter worth about $27,000. 86.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About American Water Works

(Get Free Report)

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.