Should You Invest in American Water Works Co. Inc. (AWK) Now?

American Water Works Co. Inc. (NYSE: AWK) has a higher price-to-earnings ratio of 23.31x compared to its average ratio, The 36-month beta value for AWK is at 0.63. Analysts have varying views on the stock, with 3 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 3 rating it as “overweight,” 9 as “hold,” and 0 as “sell.”

The public float for AWK is 194.36M, and currently, shorts hold a 1.37% of that float. The average trading volume for AWK on April 17, 2024 was 1.52M shares.

AWK) stock’s latest price update

The stock of American Water Works Co. Inc. (NYSE: AWK) has decreased by -1.86 when compared to last closing price of 115.98. Despite this, the company has experienced a -6.59% fall in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. InvestorPlace reported 2024-04-16 that Critical resources are in the spotlight for controversial reasons, which may offer downwind benefits for water stocks to buy now. Essentially, the world is becoming a much more dangerous place, resulting in a pivot toward risk-off asset categories.

AWK’s Market Performance

AWK’s stock has fallen by -6.59% in the past week, with a monthly drop of -2.83% and a quarterly drop of -12.72%. The volatility ratio for the week is 1.95% while the volatility levels for the last 30 days are 1.75% for American Water Works Co. Inc. The simple moving average for the last 20 days is -4.20% for AWK stock, with a simple moving average of -12.01% for the last 200 days.

Analysts’ Opinion of AWK

Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for AWK stocks, with Evercore ISI repeating the rating for AWK by listing it as a “In-line.” The predicted price for AWK in the upcoming period, according to Evercore ISI is $135 based on the research report published on February 16, 2024 of the current year 2024.

Mizuho, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see AWK reach a price target of $134. The rating they have provided for AWK stocks is “Buy” according to the report published on October 03rd, 2023.

Wells Fargo gave a rating of “Equal Weight” to AWK, setting the target price at $140 in the report published on October 20th of the previous year.

AWK Trading at -4.95% from the 50-Day Moving Average

After a stumble in the market that brought AWK to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -25.60% of loss for the given period.

Volatility was left at 1.75%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 1.95%, as shares sank -2.91% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading -7.73% lower at present.

During the last 5 trading sessions, AWK fell by -6.59%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by -18.97% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $118.64. In addition, American Water Works Co. Inc. saw -13.77% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further losses.

Insider Trading

Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at AWK starting from Kennedy Melanie M, who sale 843 shares at the price of $119.59 back on Mar 04 ’24. After this action, Kennedy Melanie M now owns 16,240 shares of American Water Works Co. Inc., valued at $100,814 using the latest closing price.

Marberry Michael, the Director of American Water Works Co. Inc., purchase 3,786 shares at $130.20 during a trade that took place back on Nov 06 ’23, which means that Marberry Michael is holding 7,459 shares at $492,937 based on the most recent closing price.

Stock Fundamentals for AWK

Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:

  • 0.36 for the present operating margin
  • 0.59 for the gross margin

The net margin for American Water Works Co. Inc. stands at 0.22. The total capital return value is set at 0.05. Equity return is now at value 10.79, with 3.16 for asset returns.

Based on American Water Works Co. Inc. (AWK), the company’s capital structure generated 0.56 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 0.15. The debt to equity ratio resting at 1.27. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 3.27.

Currently, EBITDA for the company is 2.36 billion with net debt to EBITDA at 5.13. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 8.1. The receivables turnover for the company is 5.82for trailing twelve months and the total asset turnover is 0.14. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 0.65.

Conclusion

In conclusion, American Water Works Co. Inc. (AWK) has had a bad performance lately. Opinion on the stock among analysts is mixed, with some giving it a “buy” rating and others a “hold”. It’s important to note that the stock is currently trading at a significant distance from its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.

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