American Water Works Company, Inc. filed its third-quarter 2026 earnings release on October 28, 2026, reporting adjusted diluted earnings per share of $2.00 for the quarter ended September 30, 2026, and narrowing its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance range while initiating standalone 2027 guidance.

Key Highlights

  • Q3 2026 adjusted EPS of $2.00 compared to $1.89 per share in the same quarter of 2025, according to the filing.
  • Year-to-date adjusted EPS of $4.63 for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, compared to $4.40 for the same period in 2025.
  • 2026 adjusted EPS guidance narrowed to $6.07 to $6.12 from the prior range of $6.02 to $6.12.
  • 2027 standalone adjusted EPS guidance initiated at $6.53 to $6.63, described as representing 8% EPS growth at midpoint versus the 2026 adjusted EPS guidance range.
  • $2.8 billion invested in infrastructure improvements and growth in the first nine months of 2026, including $437 million for regulated acquisitions.
  • Quarterly dividend of $0.8950 per share declared on October 27, 2026, payable December 1, 2026, to shareholders of record as of November 12, 2026.
  • Approximately 81,000 customer connections added from acquisitions through September 30, 2026, including the Nexus Water systems.

American Water Reports Q3 2026 Results and Updates Multi-Year Financial Targets

According to the filing, American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) reported third-quarter 2026 GAAP diluted earnings of $1.94 per share, unchanged from $1.94 per share in the same quarter of 2025. On an adjusted (non-GAAP) basis, earnings were $2.00 per share for Q3 2026, compared to $1.89 per share for Q3 2025. The non-GAAP adjustments in the quarter included the estimated impact of weather and transaction costs associated with the pending merger with Essential Utilities.

The filing disclosed that the Regulated Businesses reported net income of $407 million in Q3 2026, compared to $383 million in Q3 2025. For the first nine months of 2026, the Regulated Businesses' net income was $946 million, up from $872 million in the same period of 2025. Operating revenues for the Regulated Businesses increased $60 million for the three-month period and $212 million for the nine-month period, according to the filing, driven primarily by authorized revenue increases from completed general rate cases and infrastructure proceedings. Since January 1, 2026, the company disclosed it has been authorized additional annualized revenues of $284 million, comprised of $179 million from general rate cases and $105 million from infrastructure surcharges. The company also reported pending revenue requests totaling $360 million in annualized incremental revenues across five general rate case jurisdictions and two infrastructure surcharge filings.

On the proposed merger with Essential Utilities, the filing stated that three states have approved the transaction and settlements have been reached in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Texas. The company disclosed it continues to work toward closing the merger "by the end of the first quarter of 2027 as anticipated." The filing also confirmed that the company's standalone long-term targets remain unchanged, including long-term EPS growth of 7-9%, rate base growth of 8-9%, and dividend per share growth of 7-9%. The updated standalone capital investment plan is disclosed as $20+ billion for 2026-2030 and $48+ billion for 2026-2035, with a 2027 standalone capital investment plan of $4.1 billion.

What Was Disclosed

American Water Works disclosed Q3 2026 and year-to-date financial results, a narrowed 2026 adjusted EPS guidance range, initial 2027 standalone EPS guidance, a quarterly dividend declaration, merger progress with Essential Utilities, and an affirmed set of long-term financial and capital investment targets.