Coming Soon: American Water Works Earnings

American Water Works (NYSE: AWK  ) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Feb. 26. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict American Water Works's revenues will increase 9.4% and EPS will contract -8.6%.

The average estimate for revenue is $699.6 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.32.

Revenue details
Last quarter, American Water Works booked revenue of $831.8 million. GAAP reported sales were 9.3% higher than the prior-year quarter's $760.9 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Last quarter, non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.87. GAAP EPS of $0.86 for Q3 were 10% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.78 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 57.3%, 200 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 39.4%, 260 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 18.5%, 40 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $2.89 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.13.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 254 members out of 267 rating the stock outperform, and 13 members rating it underperform. Among 57 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 56 give American Water Works a green thumbs-up, and one give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on American Water Works is outperform, with an average price target of $40.32.

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