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AWK

S&P 500
Neutral · 55/100

American Water Works

Utilities
Water Utilities

$124.92

0.1%

Updated Today 7:15 PM ET

Price — Past Year

▼ Down 11.4% over the last 12 months

Price 50-day average 200-day averageSource: Yahoo Finance · refreshed daily
Key Metrics

Market Cap

$24.42B

P/E

22x

Forward P/E (est.)

21.38x

ROE

10.1%

Revenue Growth

8.1%

EPS Growth

2.9%

Profit Margin

21.2%

FCF Yield

6.6%

Debt / Equity

1.46x

ROIC

7.0%

Interest Coverage

6.31x

Current Ratio

0.37x

Dividend Yield

2.8%

Implied Growth (rev. DCF)

Rating Score

55/100

Technical Analysis (Educational)
Research

Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what AWK's chart says today, with each tool explained.

Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. AWK trades near $124.92, below its 50-day average ($127.71) and 200-day average ($132.24). Price below both averages is a downtrend — momentum is against buyers for now.

Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 56 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.

MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.

Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. AWK's is $3.18 (~2.5% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.

Support & resistance. Over the last month AWK found buyers near $120.57 (support) and sellers near $128.74 (resistance); its 52-week range is $120.57–$147.87. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.

Volume. The latest session traded 1.1× the 20-day average — about normal. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.

Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.

Business Overview
Research

American Water Works (AWK) is a large-cap company in the Water Utilities industry, part of the Utilities sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $24.42B.

In its latest reported year it generated about $5.12B in revenue and $1.11B in net profit.

Our model rates AWK Neutral (55/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.

Revenue Growth
Research

4Y CAGR

7.0%

Revenue moved from $3.91B in 2021 to $5.12B in 2025, a 7.0% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year grew a steady 8.1% year over year. Slower, mature growth is common for established businesses.

Profitability
Research

Gross Margin

Operating Margin

36.7%

Net Margin

21.7%

ROE

10.1%

American Water Works keeps about 21.2% of each sales dollar as net profit. Return on equity is 10.1% and return on invested capital about 7.0%. Margins this wide usually signal pricing power or a cost advantage.

Debt Analysis
Research

Total Debt

$9.66B

Net Debt

$9.52B

Net Debt / EBITDA

5.07x

Debt / Equity

1.46x

Leverage: debt-to-equity is 1.5x, and operating profit covers interest about 6.3x, with a current ratio of 0.4x. That is a moderate, manageable debt load for most businesses. It carries roughly $9.66B of total debt against $137.00M of cash.

Cash Flow Analysis
Research

Operating CF

$2.06B

Free Cash Flow

-$1.07B

FCF Margin

-20.8%

In the latest year American Water Works produced about $2.06B of operating cash flow but negative free cash flow as it invested heavily. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 6.6% on today's price. Strong cash generation funds dividends, buybacks, and reinvestment.

Valuation Analysis
Research

P/E

22x

P/S

4.85x

P/B

2.29x

EV / EBITDA

12.48x

AWK trades at 22.0x trailing earnings (about 21.4x on estimated forward earnings), 4.8x sales, and 2.3x book value. That is a fairly typical valuation for a profitable company.

Metrics vs. Typical Range

Where this stock sits versus what most companies trade at.

TTM P/E
22.0xFair
Forward P/E
21.4xFair
P/S ratio
4.8xExpensive
Revenue growth
8.1%Strong
EPS growth
2.9%Weak
Gross margin
Net margin
21.2%Strong
ROE
10.1%Weak

Typical ranges are general references (e.g., many stocks trade at ~18–26x earnings), not hard rules. Context only — not investment advice.

Sector Peer Comparison

How AWK stacks up against its Utilities peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.

In the Utilities sector (31 S&P 500 companies), AWK ranks #13 of 31 by our overall rating. It trades at roughly in line versus the sector on earnings (22x P/E vs. 21.8x median) with a lower return on equity (10.1% vs. 10.4%) and slower revenue growth (8.1% vs. 9.0%).

P/E vs sector

22x

median 21.8x

ROE vs sector

10.1%

median 10.4%

Growth vs sector

8.1%

median 9.0%

Sector rank

#13

of 31 by rating

CompanyP/ERev Gr.Rating
AWKThis stock22x8.1%Neutral· 55
ES14.9x9.8%Favorable· 59
CMS20.5x12.7%Neutral· 54
NI23.4x15.7%Neutral· 57
PPL21.8x-58.8%Neutral· 55
FE25.3x8.9%Weak· 38
EIX7.4x13.2%Favorable· 65
CNP26x1.4%Weak· 37
Utilities median21.8x9.0%54/100

Valuation vs. quality map

sector medianESCMSNIPPLFEEIXCNPAWKP/E — cheaper ←→ pricierROE — more profitable ↑

The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.

Compare side by side

Peers are the closest Utilities companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 31 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.

5-Year Projection Model

Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.

2030 price target (Base Case)

$110.20$186.49

vs. $124.92 today · expected CAGR -2%8%

Metric20262027202820292030
Revenue$5.53B$5.97B$6.45B$6.97B$7.52B
Net income$1.22B$1.31B$1.42B$1.53B$1.66B
EPS$6.23$6.73$7.27$7.85$8.48
Share price (low)$81.00$87.48$94.48$102.04$110.20
Share price (high)$137.08$148.04$159.89$172.68$186.49
CAGR (low–high)-35% / 10%-16% / 9%-9% / 9%-5% / 8%-2% / 8%

Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.

Bull Case

The case for AWK:

  • High net margins (21.2%) point to pricing power or efficiency.
  • Healthy free-cash-flow yield (~6.6%) funds buybacks and dividends.
  • Pays a 2.8% dividend on top of any price gains.
Bear Case

The case against AWK:

  • Like any single stock, it is exposed to competition, the economic cycle, and shifts in its end markets.
Key Risks
Research

Balance-sheet risk — debt/equity of 1.5x magnifies the impact of higher rates or weaker earnings.

Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.

Investment Thesis
Research

On balance, the picture is mixed: American Water Works is a large-cap utilities business growing at a mature pace, with solid profitability, and a heavier debt load to watch. It trades at 22.0x earnings, which our model scores Neutral (55/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.

Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.

Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.