Zacks Research Has Positive Outlook for AWK Q1 Earnings

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) – Zacks Research raised their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of American Water Works in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, March 12th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $1.22 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.19. The consensus estimate for American Water Works’ current full-year earnings is $5.71 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for American Water Works’ FY2026 earnings at $6.13 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $6.44 EPS.

AWK has been the topic of several other research reports. UBS Group raised American Water Works from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $151.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com raised American Water Works from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on American Water Works from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on American Water Works from $147.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Water Works has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.86.

American Water Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AWK opened at $144.43 on Friday. American Water Works has a 1-year low of $113.34 and a 1-year high of $152.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.16 billion, a PE ratio of 26.80, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.69. The business’s 50 day moving average is $129.24 and its 200-day moving average is $134.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.09. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.29% and a net margin of 22.44%. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Water Works

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Providence First Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 54.2% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

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.