American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK Shares Acquired by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 9.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 68,547 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,136 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in American Water Works were worth $9,329,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AWK. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its stake in shares of American Water Works by 71.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in American Water Works in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in American Water Works by 82.6% in the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 199 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in American Water Works in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. 86.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Water Works Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of American Water Works stock opened at $137.10 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.76, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.61. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $120.57 and a twelve month high of $147.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $129.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $131.01.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.38% and a net margin of 21.35%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.48 EPS. American Water Works has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.020-6.120 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.895 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $3.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 63.48%.

American Water Works News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting American Water Works this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AWK reported second-quarter adjusted and GAAP earnings of $1.61 per share, above analyst expectations, while revenue increased 6.2% year over year to approximately $1.35 billion. Earnings also improved from $1.48 per share in the prior-year quarter. American Water Reports Solid Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management affirmed its $3.7 billion capital investment plan, reported progress on regulatory actions—including new Pennsylvania rates scheduled to take effect August 13—and said its proposed merger with Essential Utilities continues to advance, with approvals in three states and a Texas settlement in principle. American Water Reports Solid Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.895 per share, supporting AWK’s income appeal and signaling continued confidence in cash flows. The dividend is payable September 1 to shareholders of record August 11. American Water Announces Quarterly Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Illinois American Water announced workforce-development initiatives aimed at building the next generation of water-industry employees. The effort may support long-term operational needs but is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Illinois American Water Supports Water Utility Workforce Development
• Negative Sentiment: AWK maintained its 2026 EPS outlook at $6.02–$6.12, with a midpoint of $6.07 that is slightly below the roughly $6.08 consensus estimate. Investors may view the lack of a guidance increase as underwhelming despite the quarterly beat, particularly with the shares trading at a relatively elevated earnings multiple.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on AWK shares. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 29th. 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Water Works from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Sunday, July 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.60.

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.