August 31, 2023
Top 10 Stock American Water Works Buy Recommendation
How to read the ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Snapshot: American Water Works – Top 10 Stock in Water Technology
American Water Works is listed as a top 10 stock on August 31, 2023 in the market index Water Tech because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. The company is growing above average and professional investor sentiment is positive. Both are encouraging signals for a stock purchase decision, albeit at an above-average share price. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 70 (high 70% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for American Water Works on August 31, 2023.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Water Utilities |
| Index | Low Emissions, Diversity USA, SDG 11, SDG 13, SDG 4, SDG 6, SDG 9, Water Tech, S&P 500 |
| Size class | X-Large |
When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).
For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).
360° View: Obermatt 360° View American Water Works Buy
| 360 METRICS | August 31, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 12 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 99 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 41 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 76 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 70 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 70 (better than 70% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock American Water Works are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for American Water Works. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 99, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. This means that growth is higher than for 99% of competitors in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank also has a good rank of 76, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 76% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 12, which means that the share price of American Water Works is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is higher than for 88% of alternative stocks in the same industry. Finally, the consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 41, which means that the company has a financing structure that is riskier than those of 59% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 70, American Water Works is better positioned than 70% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, so one needs to take a close look. Growth is above-average (Growth Rank of 99), and professional market sentiment is positive (Sentiment Rank of 76), but value and safety are below average. The Safety Rank is the least significant of the four consolidated ranks, because it only reflects financing practices. In the case of high growth, aggressive financing is a good thing. So the question is: How to assess below-average value against above-average growth and sentiment? Growth may be the strongest driver of the investment rationale in this case, which is reflected in institutional investors' opinions. It is typical for growth companies to have low value, as is the case here. Investors are willing to pay more for companies that outperform their competitors. So the question is, how much do you sacrifice value for growth? You can use the following rule of thumb: If you take 100 minus the growth rank, you arrive at a possibly minimum level for the value rank. For example, if the growth rank is at 75, and the value rank is at 5, you should tread carefully. If the value rank is at 40, it still might be a good value if the growth rank is above 60. Sometimes market sentiment just extrapolates the past, but sometimes it reflects reality. You pay more than the market average for this stock, but it may be worth it. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for American Water Works very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 76 (better than 76% compared with alternatives) for 2023, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock American Water Works is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for American Water Works. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 33 (worse than 67% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. But they are changing their opinions! Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 55, which indicates a shift in stock research experts opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic about stock investments in American Water Works. Even better, the Professional Investors rank is 88, meaning that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 88% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Furthermore, Market Pulse has a rank of 67, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are upbeat when discussing this company (more positive news than for 67% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 76 (more positive than 76% compared with investment alternatives), American Water Works has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. While analysts are still critical of the company, some are changing their minds. In addition, the professional news channels are optimistic, and many institutional investors have already bought stock in the company. These are encouraging signals, despite the still lower level of analyst recommendations. They may be due to a problematic past, and about to change. The positive sentiment signals are stronger than the negative. ...read more
Value Strategy: American Water Works Stock Price Value low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 12 (worse than 88% compared with alternatives), American Water Works shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for American Water Works. Price-to-Sales is 5 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 95% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning American Water Works's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 17, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of American Water Works. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 11 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 80% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 12, is a sell recommendation based on American Water Works's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for American Water Works? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as American Water Works? It's risky, and even if the stock price continues to grow because of popular demand, it may return to more typical lower levels later. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is justified to believe that the company will dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for commercially successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. American Water Works may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. ...read more
Growth Strategy: American Water Works Growth Momentum high
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 99 (better than 99% compared with alternatives) for 2023, American Water Works shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators above average for American Water Works. Sales Growth has a value of 79, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 79% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth with a value of 78 and for Capital Growth with 72. In addition, Stock Returns had an above-average rank value of 65, which means they have been higher than 65% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 99, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Since all Growth Ranks are positive, American Water Works exhibits above-average growth momentum. This could be due to a uniquely strong market position, proprietary technology, or an extensive corporate acquisition strategy. Growth investors will find this an attractive investment opportunity, unless they expect that the current phase is transitory and will deteriorate in the future. The current performance could also be a temporary recovery from a very low point, such as a turn-around situation. In the case of a turn-around, the current performance may or may not be followed by a continuing positive development. ...read more
Safety Strategy: American Water Works Debt Financing Safety below-average
| SAFETY METRICS | August 31, 2023 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 32 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 71 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 41 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 41 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 41 (better than 41% compared with alternatives), the company American Water Works has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of American Water Works is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for American Water Works and the other two below average. Refinancing is at 71, meaning the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 71% of its competitors. But Leverage is high with a rank of 32, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 68% of its competitors. Liquidity is also on the riskier side with a rank of 41, meaning the company generates less profit to service its debt than 59% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 41 (worse than 59% compared with alternatives), American Water Works has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. A good Refinancing Rank means that the problems of the company may not be around the corner. But high Leverage is only good if things go well, and low Liquidity is a signal for caution. The financing signals for American Water Works are on the riskier side, requiring the company's future to be on the safer side. Investors may want to look at Growth and Sentiment ranks before making an investment decision. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: American Water Works Above-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | August 31, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 12 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 99 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 41 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 50 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 50 (better than 50% compared with investment alternatives), American Water Works (Water Utilities, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of American Water Works are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 12 (worse than 88% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 41, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 99). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 50, is a buy recommendation based on American Water Works's financial characteristics. As the company American Water Works shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 12 (88% of comparable investments are less expensive), investors should look at the other ranks. In this case, growth is expected to be above-average, better than 99% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 99). This is a typical case. Companies with above average growth tend to cost more than stocks with slower growth expectations. If this is a high-growth company, the low Obermatt Safety Rank of 41 is a good sign. The more debt a well-performing company has, the higher the returns to shareholders. However, if growth turns negative or interest rates increase, high debt may become a burden. If you believe the future is bright for American Water Works, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. ...read more
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