Analyst Consensus ?
ConsensusHold29 ratings
Bullish1344.8%
Neutral1448.3%
Bearish26.9%
1 unmapped firm rating excluded from the percentages.
American Water Works Company, Inc. · AWK · FY2026 Q1 · Calendar Q2 2026
AWK Q1 2026: EPS Misses on Revenue Beat, Dividend Raised 8.2%, Guidance Reaffirmed
American Water Works delivered a mixed Q1 FY2026 result: revenue of $1.207B beat the $1.17B consensus by 3.1%, while adjusted EPS of $1.01 fell short of the $1.09 estimate by 7.3%. Despite the EPS miss, management reaffirmed full-year guidance targeting 8% EPS growth, raised the quarterly dividend 8.2%, and reported progress on the Essential Utilities merger with first state approval secured in Kentucky. Regulatory wins, $185M in PFAS manufacturer payments, and a CAMT tax refund of $84M bolster the cash flow outlook. The stock declined 3.7% on an abnormal basis following the report and drifted an additional 4.0% lower in subsequent sessions, suggesting the market focused on the EPS miss rather than the revenue beat and reaffirmed outlook.
Reported After market closeNYSEUtilities
$26.97B market cap
90quality score
Company context
Snapshot as of publicationAmerican Water Works Company, Inc. operates across the United States, delivering essential water and wastewater solutions via its various subsidiary companies. Its operations extend to around 1,700 communities situated across 14 states, catering to an active customer base of roughly 3.4 million. The firm caters to a broad spectrum of clients. These include individual households, commercial enterprises (such as food and beverage suppliers, property developers, and energy companies), and both public and private fire service customers. Industrial clients, like large-scale manufacturers, mining, and production facilities, also utilize its services. Furthermore, American Water Works supports public authorities, encompassing government facilities, schools, and universities, alongside other utility providers and community water and wastewater infrastructure.…
Earnings scorecard
Reported versus consensus
Reported EPS
$1.01
Consensus $1
EPS surprise
-7.3%
Reported versus consensus
Reported revenue
$1.21B
Consensus $1.17B
Revenue surprise
+3.1%
Reported versus consensus
Earnings History
Estimate
Beat
Miss
Match
Analyst 52W Price Targets
$136.81Current
$124Low
$143.15Average
$181High
Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Jul 30, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.
Firm-level rating actions
FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.
| Firm | Rating | Prior rating | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barclays | Underweight | Underweight | Maintain | Jul 15, 2026 |
| JP Morgan | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jul 8, 2026 |
| UBS | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 2, 2026 |
| Truist Securities | Hold | Hold | Maintain | May 29, 2026 |
| B of A Securities | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | May 21, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Equal Weight | Equal Weight | Maintain | Jan 20, 2026 |
| Jefferies | Hold | Underperform | Upgrade | Nov 5, 2025 |
| Argus Research | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Aug 14, 2025 |
| Mizuho | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Aug 1, 2025 |
| Evercore ISI Group | In Line | In Line | Maintain | May 2, 2025 |
| Seaport Global | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Apr 11, 2025 |
| RBC Capital | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Sep 19, 2024 |
| CFRA | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Feb 16, 2023 |
| Janney Montgomery Scott | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Nov 1, 2022 |
| HSBC | Buy | Hold | Upgrade | Feb 23, 2022 |
| Goldman Sachs | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Nov 4, 2021 |
| Atlantic Equities | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Jan 7, 2021 |
| Janney Capital | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Oct 13, 2020 |
| Baird | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Aug 6, 2020 |
| Bank of America | Underperform | Neutral | Downgrade | Jul 15, 2019 |
| Guggenheim | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Jan 2, 2018 |
| Argus | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jun 24, 2016 |
| Boenning & Scattergood | Neutral | Outperform | Downgrade | Jun 6, 2016 |
| Ladenburg Thalmann | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Oct 15, 2015 |
| Brean Capital | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Nov 7, 2014 |
| Maxim Group | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Oct 20, 2014 |
| Macquarie | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Oct 20, 2014 |
| Credit Suisse | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Aug 8, 2014 |
| Citigroup | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 23, 2014 |
| Hilliard Lyons | Buy | Maintain | Jul 11, 2014 |
Named analyst price targets
Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $136.81. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.
| Firm | Analyst | 52W target | Price when posted | Upside | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $130 | $131.57 | -5.0% | Jul 15, 2026 |
| UBS | Gregg Orrill | $150 | $131.79 | +9.6% | Jul 2, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $140 | $122.35 | +2.3% | May 29, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $137 | $125.56 | +0.1% | May 7, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $131 | $133.25 | -4.2% | Apr 21, 2026 |
| Barclays | Nicholas Campanella | $124 | $131.61 | -9.4% | Apr 20, 2026 |
| UBS | Gregg Orrill | $149 | $133.04 | +8.9% | Dec 17, 2025 |
| Barclays | Nicholas Campanella | $122 | $132.72 | -10.8% | Dec 17, 2025 |
| Mizuho Securities | Anthony Crowdell | $145 | $137.99 | +6.0% | Oct 28, 2025 |
| Wells Fargo | Shahriar Pourreza | $142 | $137.99 | +3.8% | Oct 27, 2025 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $134 | $145.43 | -2.1% | Oct 21, 2025 |
| UBS | Gregg Orrill | $155 | $142.28 | +13.3% | Nov 19, 2024 |
| Mizuho Securities | Anthony Crowdell | $140 | $140.37 | +2.3% | Oct 15, 2024 |
| Jefferies | Julien Dumoulin-Smith | $124 | $138.89 | -9.4% | Oct 7, 2024 |
| Bank of America Securities | Ross Fowler | $140 | $149.08 | +2.3% | Sep 20, 2024 |
| Wells Fargo | Jonathan Reeder | $138 | $143.67 | +0.9% | Jul 31, 2024 |
| Mizuho Securities | Anthony Crowdell | $131 | $118.21 | -4.2% | Mar 21, 2024 |
| Mizuho Securities | Anthony Crowdell | $134 | $116.88 | -2.1% | Oct 3, 2023 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $159 | $156.84 | +16.2% | Aug 2, 2022 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $152 | $145.68 | +11.1% | Jul 18, 2022 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $157 | $148.57 | +14.8% | Jul 18, 2022 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $151 | $159.46 | +10.4% | Apr 28, 2022 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $156 | $163.97 | +14.0% | Apr 19, 2022 |
| Janney Montgomery | Michael Gaugler | $181 | $174.56 | +32.3% | Aug 4, 2021 |
| Guggenheim | Shahriar Pourreza | $160 | $173.41 | +17.0% | Aug 3, 2021 |
| Wolfe Research | Steve Fleishman | $156 | $150.81 | +14.0% | May 5, 2021 |
Track every rating change on AWK the moment it posts. Free to start.
Start freeMarket reaction
event-close to next-session close
Stock move
-2.7%
Event window
SPY move
+1.0%
Same window
Abnormal move
-3.7%
Stock minus SPY
Volume
1.6×
Versus trailing sessions
Subsequent drift
-4.0%
Up to 20 sessions
AWKSPY benchmark
Follow AWK with an agent that reads every filing, transcript, and price print. Free to start.
Try FN2 freeTranscript intelligence
What changed
Revenue of $1.207B beat the $1.17B consensus estimate by 3.1%. Adjusted EPS of $1.01 missed the $1.09 estimate by 7.3%. Quarterly dividend increased 8.2% to $0.8950 per share. Secured approximately $185M in net payments from PFAS manufacturers to offset remediation costs. Received $84M corporate alternative minimum tax (CAMT) refund plus $100M in ongoing annual CAMT cash savings. Completed acquisition of the Nitro wastewater system in West Virginia for $20M with a planned $40M investment over five years. First state approval (Kentucky) received for the Essential Utilities merger.
Guidance delta
2026 full-year EPS guidance reaffirmed at 8% growth target. Dividend growth target maintained at 7-9% annually. Capex outlook is increasing. Guidance sentiment: maintained.
Key takeaways
- Adjusted EPS of $1.01 missed consensus by 7.3%, but revenue beat by 3.1% at $1.207B
- Full-year 2026 EPS guidance reaffirmed targeting 8% growth despite the quarterly miss
- Dividend raised 8.2% to $0.8950 quarterly, targeting 7-9% annual growth
- Essential Utilities merger progressing with first state approval in Kentucky, expected close by Q1 2027
- $185M in PFAS manufacturer payments and $84M CAMT refund provide near-term cash flow support
- $565M in acquisitions under agreement plus completed Nitro acquisition, adding 105,000 customer connections to the pipeline
Management priorities
- Close the Essential Utilities merger by the end of Q1 2027 with remaining state approvals
- Complete the Nexus Water Group acquisition by June 30, 2026
- Deploy new rate cases to deliver higher revenues in the second half of 2026
- Invest over $40M in the Nitro system over the next five years
- Continue smart meter deployment and pipe replacement programs
- Issue additional long-term debt in the latter half of 2026
Related earnings events
UtilitiesSources
- Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
- FN2 earnings calendar · 2026-07-26T00:37:12.209961+00:00
- Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-07-30T18:31:40.488185+00:00
- Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-07-30T18:31:40.485374+00:00
Methodology
Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.
Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.
Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.
By FN2 Research · Updated . For educational purposes only; not investment advice.