American Water Works Corporate Bonds and Leverage Analysis

AWK Stock  USD 117.35  1.95  1.69%   
American Water Works holds a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.546. At this time, American Water's Long Term Debt To Capitalization is quite stable compared to the past year. Total Debt To Capitalization is expected to rise to 0.66 this year, although the value of Long Term Debt Total will most likely fall to about 7.9 B. American Water's financial risk is the risk to American Water stockholders that is caused by an increase in debt. In other words, with a high degree of financial leverage come high-interest payments, which usually reduce Earnings Per Share (EPS).

Asset vs Debt

Equity vs Debt

American Water's liquidity is one of the most fundamental aspects of both its future profitability and its ability to meet different types of ongoing financial obligations. American Water's cash, liquid assets, total liabilities, and shareholder equity can be utilized to evaluate how much leverage the Company is using to sustain its current operations. For traders, higher-leverage indicators usually imply a higher risk to shareholders. In addition, it helps American Stock's retail investors understand whether an upcoming fall or rise in the market will negatively affect American Water's stakeholders.
For most companies, including American Water, marketable securities, inventories, and receivables are the most common assets that could be converted to cash. However, for the executing running American Water Works the most critical issue when dealing with liquidity needs is whether the current assets are properly aligned with its current liabilities. If not, management will need to obtain alternative financing to ensure that there are always enough cash equivalents on the balance sheet in reserve to pay for obligations.
Price Book
2.3181
Book Value
50.311
Operating Margin
0.2955
Profit Margin
0.223
Return On Assets
0.0331
At this time, American Water's Long Term Debt To Capitalization is quite stable compared to the past year. Total Debt To Capitalization is expected to rise to 0.66 this year, although the value of Long Term Debt Total will most likely fall to about 7.9 B.
  
Check out the analysis of American Water Fundamentals Over Time.
View Bond Profile
Given the importance of American Water's capital structure, the first step in the capital decision process is for the management of American Water to decide how much external capital it will need to raise to operate in a sustainable way. Once the amount of financing is determined, management needs to examine the financial markets to determine the terms in which the company can boost capital. This move is crucial to the process because the market environment may reduce the ability of American Water Works to issue bonds at a reasonable cost.

American Water Financial Leverage Rating

American Water Works bond ratings play a critical role in determining how much American Water have to pay to access credit markets, i.e., the amount of interest on their issued debt. The threshold between investment-grade and speculative-grade ratings has important market implications for American Water's borrowing costs.
Piotroski F Score
6  Healthy
Beneish M Score

American Water Works Debt to Cash Allocation

As American Water Works follows its natural business cycle, the capital allocation decisions will not magically go away. American Water's decision-makers have to determine if most of the cash flows will be poured back into or reinvested in the business, reserved for other projects beyond operational needs, or paid back to stakeholders and investors. Many companies eventually find out that there is only so much market out there to be conquered, and adding the next product or service is only half as profitable per unit as their current endeavors. Eventually, the company will reach a point where cash flows are strong, and extra cash is available but not fully utilized. In this case, the company may start buying back its stock from the public or issue more dividends.
The company has 12.44 B in debt with debt to equity (D/E) ratio of 1.55, which is OK given its current industry classification. American Water Works has a current ratio of 0.58, suggesting that it has not enough short term capital to pay financial commitments when the payables are due. Debt can assist American Water until it has trouble settling it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. So, American Water's shareholders could walk away with nothing if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt. However, a more frequent occurrence is when companies like American Water Works sell additional shares at bargain prices, diluting existing shareholders. Debt, in this case, can be an excellent and much better tool for American to invest in growth at high rates of return. When we think about American Water's use of debt, we should always consider it together with cash and equity.

American Water Total Assets Over Time

American Water Assets Financed by Debt

Typically, companies with high debt-to-asset ratios are said to be highly leveraged. The higher the ratio, the greater risk will be associated with the American Water's operation. In addition, a high debt-to-assets ratio may indicate a low borrowing capacity of American Water, which in turn will lower the firm's financial flexibility. Like all other financial ratios, a an American Water debt ratio should be compared their industry average or other competing firms.

American Short Long Term Debt Total

Short Long Term Debt Total

13.06 Billion

At this time, American Water's Short and Long Term Debt Total is quite stable compared to the past year.

Understaning American Water Use of Financial Leverage

American Water financial leverage ratio helps in determining the effect of debt on the overall profitability of the company. It measures American Water's total debt position, including all of outstanding debt obligations, and compares it with the equity. In simple terms, the high financial leverage means the cost of production, together with running the business day-to-day, is high, whereas, lower financial leverage implies lower fixed cost investment in the business and generally considered by investors to be a good sign. So if creditors own a majority of American Water assets, the company is considered highly leveraged. Understanding the composition and structure of overall American Water debt and outstanding corporate bonds gives a good idea of how risky the capital structure of a business and if it is worth investing in it. Financial leverage can amplify the potential profits to American Water's owners, but it also increases the potential losses and risk of financial distress, including bankruptcy, if the firm cannot cover its debt costs. The degree of American Water's financial leverage can be measured in several ways, including by ratios such as the debt-to-equity ratio (total debt / total equity), equity multiplier (total assets / total equity), or the debt ratio (total debt / total assets).
Last ReportedProjected for Next Year
Short and Long Term Debt Total12.4 B13.1 B
Net Debt12.1 B12.7 B
Short Term Debt654 M552.7 M
Long Term Debt11.7 B6.9 B
Long Term Debt Total12.6 B7.9 B
Short and Long Term Debt654 M987.4 M
Net Debt To EBITDA 5.13  2.59 
Debt To Equity 1.27  1.68 
Interest Debt Per Share 66.85  63.51 
Debt To Assets 0.41  0.48 
Long Term Debt To Capitalization 0.55  0.63 
Total Debt To Capitalization 0.56  0.66 
Debt Equity Ratio 1.27  1.68 
Debt Ratio 0.41  0.48 
Cash Flow To Debt Ratio 0.15  0.10 
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Pair Trading with American Water

One of the main advantages of trading using pair correlations is that every trade hedges away some risk. Because there are two separate transactions required, even if American Water position performs unexpectedly, the other equity can make up some of the losses. Pair trading also minimizes risk from directional movements in the market. For example, if an entire industry or sector drops because of unexpected headlines, the short position in American Water will appreciate offsetting losses from the drop in the long position's value.

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The ability to find closely correlated positions to American Water could be a great tool in your tax-loss harvesting strategies, allowing investors a quick way to find a similar-enough asset to replace American Water when you sell it. If you don't do this, your portfolio allocation will be skewed against your target asset allocation. So, investors can't just sell and buy back American Water - that would be a violation of the tax code under the "wash sale" rule, and this is why you need to find a similar enough asset and use the proceeds from selling American Water Works to buy it.
The correlation of American Water is a statistical measure of how it moves in relation to other instruments. This measure is expressed in what is known as the correlation coefficient, which ranges between -1 and +1. A perfect positive correlation (i.e., a correlation coefficient of +1) implies that as American Water moves, either up or down, the other security will move in the same direction. Alternatively, perfect negative correlation means that if American Water Works moves in either direction, the perfectly negatively correlated security will move in the opposite direction. If the correlation is 0, the equities are not correlated; they are entirely random. A correlation greater than 0.8 is generally described as strong, whereas a correlation less than 0.5 is generally considered weak.
Correlation analysis and pair trading evaluation for American Water can also be used as hedging techniques within a particular sector or industry or even over random equities to generate a better risk-adjusted return on your portfolios.
Pair CorrelationCorrelation Matching
When determining whether American Water Works is a good investment, qualitative aspects like company management, corporate governance, and ethical practices play a significant role. A comparison with peer companies also provides context and helps to understand if American Stock is undervalued or overvalued. This multi-faceted approach, blending both quantitative and qualitative analysis, forms a solid foundation for making an informed investment decision about American Water Works Stock. Highlighted below are key reports to facilitate an investment decision about American Water Works Stock:
Check out the analysis of American Water Fundamentals Over Time.
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Is American Water's industry expected to grow? Or is there an opportunity to expand the business' product line in the future? Factors like these will boost the valuation of American Water. If investors know American will grow in the future, the company's valuation will be higher. The financial industry is built on trying to define current growth potential and future valuation accurately. All the valuation information about American Water listed above have to be considered, but the key to understanding future value is determining which factors weigh more heavily than others.
Quarterly Earnings Growth
0.086
Dividend Share
2.778
Earnings Share
4.91
Revenue Per Share
21.938
Quarterly Revenue Growth
0.108
The market value of American Water Works is measured differently than its book value, which is the value of American that is recorded on the company's balance sheet. Investors also form their own opinion of American Water's value that differs from its market value or its book value, called intrinsic value, which is American Water's true underlying value. Investors use various methods to calculate intrinsic value and buy a stock when its market value falls below its intrinsic value. Because American Water's market value can be influenced by many factors that don't directly affect American Water's underlying business (such as a pandemic or basic market pessimism), market value can vary widely from intrinsic value.
Please note, there is a significant difference between American Water's value and its price as these two are different measures arrived at by different means. Investors typically determine if American Water is a good investment by looking at such factors as earnings, sales, fundamental and technical indicators, competition as well as analyst projections. However, American Water's price is the amount at which it trades on the open market and represents the number that a seller and buyer find agreeable to each party.

What is Financial Leverage?

Financial leverage is the use of borrowed money (debt) to finance the purchase of assets with the expectation that the income or capital gain from the new asset will exceed the cost of borrowing. In most cases, the debt provider will limit how much risk it is ready to take and indicate a limit on the extent of the leverage it will allow. In the case of asset-backed lending, the financial provider uses the assets as collateral until the borrower repays the loan. In the case of a cash flow loan, the general creditworthiness of the company is used to back the loan. The concept of leverage is common in the business world. It is mostly used to boost the returns on equity capital of a company, especially when the business is unable to increase its operating efficiency and returns on total investment. Because earnings on borrowing are higher than the interest payable on debt, the company's total earnings will increase, ultimately boosting stockholders' profits.

Leverage and Capital Costs

The debt to equity ratio plays a role in the working average cost of capital (WACC). The overall interest on debt represents the break-even point that must be obtained to profitability in a given venture. Thus, WACC is essentially the average interest an organization owes on the capital it has borrowed for leverage. Let's say equity represents 60% of borrowed capital, and debt is 40%. This results in a financial leverage calculation of 40/60, or 0.6667. The organization owes 10% on all equity and 5% on all debt. That means that the weighted average cost of capital is (.4)(5) + (.6)(10) - or 8%. For every $10,000 borrowed, this organization will owe $800 in interest. Profit must be higher than 8% on the project to offset the cost of interest and justify this leverage.

Benefits of Financial Leverage

Leverage provides the following benefits for companies:
  • Leverage is an essential tool a company's management can use to make the best financing and investment decisions.
  • It provides a variety of financing sources by which the firm can achieve its target earnings.
  • Leverage is also an essential technique in investing as it helps companies set a threshold for the expansion of business operations. For example, it can be used to recommend restrictions on business expansion once the projected return on additional investment is lower than the cost of debt.
By borrowing funds, the firm incurs a debt that must be paid. But, this debt is paid in small installments over a relatively long period of time. This frees funds for more immediate use in the stock market. For example, suppose a company can afford a new factory but will be left with negligible free cash. In that case, it may be better to finance the factory and spend the cash on hand on inputs, labor, or even hold a significant portion as a reserve against unforeseen circumstances.

The Risk of Financial Leverage

The most obvious and apparent risk of leverage is that if price changes unexpectedly, the leveraged position can lead to severe losses. For example, imagine a hedge fund seeded by $50 worth of investor money. The hedge fund borrows another $50 and buys an asset worth $100, leading to a leverage ratio of 2:1. For the investor, this is neither good nor bad -- until the asset price changes. If the asset price goes up 10 percent, the investor earns $10 on $50 of capital, a net gain of 20 percent, and is very pleased with the increased gains from the leverage. However, if the asset price crashes unexpectedly, say by 30 percent, the investor loses $30 on $50 of capital, suffering a 60 percent loss. In other words, the effect of leverage is to increase the volatility of returns and increase the effects of a price change on the asset to the bottom line while increasing the chance for profit as well.