GQG Partners LLC Invests $1.17 Billion in American Water Works Company, Inc. $AWK

GQG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 8,903,133 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,171,477,000. American Water Works makes up about 2.2% of GQG Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. GQG Partners LLC owned about 4.48% of American Water Works at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of AWK. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. bought a new position in American Water Works in the second quarter worth approximately $876,000. Evolve Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in American Water Works during the 2nd quarter valued at $403,000. Westpac Banking Corp purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter worth $283,000. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. purchased a new stake in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter worth $570,000. Finally, Korea Investment CORP bought a new position in shares of American Water Works during the 2nd quarter worth $1,395,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Trading Down 1.1%

American Water Works stock opened at $135.66 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $132.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.52. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a one year low of $120.57 and a one year high of $147.84. The stock has a market cap of $26.96 billion, a PE ratio of 23.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.60.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.48 earnings per share. The company’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, research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be paid a $0.895 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. American Water Works’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on AWK shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on American Water Works from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of American Water Works from $138.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Truist Financial set a $139.00 price target on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $138.78.

American Water Works Company 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.