Zacks Research Equities Analysts Lift Earnings Estimates for American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q3 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for American Water Works in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, April 16th. Zacks Research analyst J. Saha now forecasts that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $1.75 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.74. The consensus estimate for American Water Works’ current full-year earnings is $5.24 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for American Water Works’ FY2024 earnings at $5.22 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.56 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.13 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $5.67 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.28 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $5.90 EPS.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The utilities provider reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.04. American Water Works had a return on equity of 9.70% and a net margin of 22.30%. The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on AWK. StockNews.com lowered American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Evercore ISI lowered American Water Works from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Friday, February 16th.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $115.40 on Wednesday. American Water Works has a 1-year low of $113.34 and a 1-year high of $152.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $119.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $124.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.48 billion, a PE ratio of 23.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.63.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Melanie M. Kennedy sold 843 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.59, for a total transaction of $100,814.37. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,942,141.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MV Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 110.8% in the 4th quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Clear Street Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of American Water Works by 79.2% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Company Profile

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.