AWK vs AWR vs WTRG Stock Comparison

American Water Works Company, American States Water and Essential Utilities Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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AWR American States Water Co
$88.63 +8.4% 1M +18.8% 1Y
Market cap
$3.51B
P/E
24.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$697.48M
Div. yield
2.32%
Water Utilities Utilities
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

American States Water leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (American States Water 6, Essential Utilities 5, American Water Works Company 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAWKAWRWTRGLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $29.79B $3.51B $12.81B AWK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 26.2x 24.4x 23.1x WTRG
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 26.2x 23.4x 19.0x WTRG
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +5.4% +13.2% +9.9% AWR
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 21.3% 20.5% 21.6% WTRG
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 6.0% 9.2% 5.5% AWR
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 5.5x 2.8x 6.4x AWR
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 2.31% 2.32% 3.07% WTRG
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +16.8% +18.8% +17.6% AWR
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -2.5%/yr -1.2%/yr -1.1%/yr WTRG
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 22.3% 20.1% 22.1% AWR
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 49/100 58/100 43/100 AWR

Percentile Scorecard

AWKAWRWTRG

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAWKAWRWTRG
Valuation 6 #63 of 67 17 #56 of 67 11 #60 of 67
Growth 45 #36 of 65 86 #10 of 65 34 #43 of 65
Profitability 94 #5 of 65 100 #1 of 65 64 #24 of 65
Financial Health 40 #40 of 66 85 #11 of 66 52 #32 of 66
Shareholder Returns 62 #26 of 67 3 #65 of 67 53 #32 of 67
Overall 49 58 43
  • AWK ranked among 67 companies in Regulated Utilities
  • AWR ranked among 67 companies in Regulated Utilities
  • WTRG ranked among 67 companies in Regulated Utilities

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAWKAWRWTRGSPY
1 month +17.1%+8.4%+16.7% -1.0%
3 months +11.5%+4.5%+14.0% -0.4%
6 months +19.1%+16.9%+20.2% +4.5%
Year to date +14.7%+22.3%+17.7% +12.4%
1 year +16.8%+18.8%+17.6% +13.6%
3 years +15.1%+6.9%+26.0% +76.4%
3 years, per year +4.8%+2.3%+8.0% +20.8%
5 years -11.8%-6.0%-5.2% +63.7%
5 years, per year -2.5%-1.2%-1.1% +10.4%
10 years +112.0%+129.0%+55.7% +267.7%
10 years, per year +7.8%+8.6%+4.5% +13.9%

Risk

MeasureAWKAWRWTRGSPY
Volatility, 1Y 22.3%20.1%22.1% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 19.9%19.5%19.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.47-0.26-0.44 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.750.940.79 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -39.7%-35.6%-39.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-2.7%0.0% -1.6%
52-week high $149.64$91.11$45.14 $779.14
52-week low $121.13$70.10$36.25 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAWKAWRWTRG
P/E now vs peer median 26.2xmedian 21.2x 24.4xmedian 21.2x 23.1xmedian 21.2x
P/S now vs peer median 5.6xmedian 2.9x 5.0xmedian 2.9x 5.0xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 15.7xmedian 12.9x 15.7xmedian 12.9x 15.9xmedian 12.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median -25.8xmedian 33.4x 169.3xmedian 33.4x -28.3xmedian 33.4x
P/B now vs peer median 2.5xmedian 1.8x 3.1xmedian 1.8x 1.8xmedian 1.8x
PEG now vs peer median 4.00median 2.06 5.22median 2.06 6.56median 2.06

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAWKAWRWTRG
Revenue $5.34B $697.48M $2.57B
Gross profit – $635.88M –
Operating income $1.98B $222.11M $900.69M
Net income $1.14B $143.13M $554.87M
Free cash flow -$1.16B $20.75M -$451.91M
EPS (diluted) $5.71 $3.63 $1.95
Cash & equivalents $121.00M $21.66M $8.63M
Total debt $16.34B $790.96M $8.53B
Shares (diluted) 199.00M 39.48M 284.09M
Enterprise value $29.25B $3.42B $12.68B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAWKAWRWTRG
P/E 26.2x 24.4x 23.1x
P/FCF -25.8x 169.3x -28.3x
P/Operating cash flow 13.0x 14.8x 12.5x
P/S 5.6x 5.0x 5.0x
P/B 2.5x 3.1x 1.8x
P/Tangible book 2.5x 3.1x 1.8x
EV/EBITDA 15.7x 15.7x 15.9x
EV/EBIT 23.2x 19.3x 23.7x
EV/Revenue 8.6x 6.1x 8.3x
EV/FCF -39.8x 206.4x -47.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 20.0x 18.1x 20.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 4.00 5.22 6.56

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAWKAWRWTRG
Revenue growth (1Y) 5.4% 13.2% 9.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 8.9% 6.4% 3.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – 13.5% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – 6.5% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 5.6% 16.7% -0.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 10.5% 7.6% 10.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 2.2% 14.7% -14.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 7.3% 6.9% 6.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 0.1% 12.3% -15.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 6.6% 4.7% 3.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 12.9% -0.5% 12.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 10.8% 44.4% 8.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -23.5% 730.5% 5.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -13.7% 30.2% -5.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAWKAWRWTRG
Gross margin – 91.2% –
EBITDA margin 54.9% 39.2% 52.1%
Operating margin 37.0% 31.8% 35.1%
Pretax margin 27.0% 27.0% 22.7%
Net margin 21.3% 20.5% 21.6%
FCF margin -21.7% 3.0% -17.6%
Operating cash flow margin 43.0% 33.9% 40.0%
Return on equity 9.6% 13.1% 8.0%
Return on assets 3.1% 5.2% 2.8%
Return on invested capital 6.0% 9.2% 5.5%
Return on capital employed 6.0% 8.8% 4.7%
Asset turnover 0.1x 0.3x 0.1x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.0x 1.7x 1.9x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.5% 1.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAWKAWRWTRG
Debt / assets 43.9% 28.5% 42.8%
Debt / equity 1.4x 0.7x 1.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 5.5x 2.8x 6.4x
Debt / FCF -14.1x 38.1x -18.9x
Liabilities / assets 68.0% 59.6% 64.8%
Equity / assets 32.0% 40.4% 35.2%
Interest coverage 3.0x 4.7x 2.6x
Current ratio 0.4x 1.0x 0.8x
Quick ratio 0.3x 0.4x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.0x 0.1x 0.0x
Altman Z-score 1.07 2.12 1.03

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAWKAWRWTRG
Dividend yield 2.3% 2.3% 3.1%
Net buyback yield – -2.3% -0.9%
Shareholder yield 2.3% 0.0% 2.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) 59.4% – 69.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) -58.3% – -85.7%
Dividend growth (1Y) 8.7% – 7.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 9.5% – 8.6%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAWKAWRWTRG
Forward P/E 26.2xFY2026 23.4xFY2026 19.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.72FY2026 $3.78FY2026 $2.37FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +0.5%FY2026 +12.2%FY2026 +7.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +10.8% +5.0% -5.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $5.14BFY2026 $759.00MFY2026 $2.42BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +0.0%FY2026 +15.3%FY2026 -1.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +9.9% -4.8% +17.2%
AWK estimates →AWR estimates →WTRG estimates →

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAWKAWRWTRG
Held by institutions 100.0% 82.8% 78.7%
Institutions holding 1,129 410 698
Change in shares held, QoQ +8.0% +3.5% +3.6%
Institutions buying 531 233 337
Institutions selling 416 105 233
Buyers to sellers 1.28 2.22 1.45
AWK holders →AWR holders →WTRG holders →

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AWKAWRWTRG
AWK 1.00 0.75 0.95
AWR 0.75 1.00 0.78
WTRG 0.95 0.78 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry
AWK · Water Utilities
+ESEversource Energy +AQNAlgonquin Power & Utilities +CWTCalifornia Water Service +HTOH2O America +NWNNorthwest Natural Holding +MSEXMiddlesex Water +YORWYork Water +CWCOConsolidated Water
Plot all 18 Water Utilities stocks →

Related Comparisons

AWK vs ESEversource Energy AWK vs AQNAlgonquin Power & Utilities AWK vs CWTCalifornia Water Service AWK vs HTOH2O America

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AWK, AWR and WTRG?

American Water Works Company (AWK) is the largest by market capitalisation: American Water Works Company (AWK) $29.79B, American States Water (AWR) $3.51B, Essential Utilities (WTRG) $12.81B.

Which stock is cheaper, AWK, AWR and WTRG?

Essential Utilities (WTRG) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (American Water Works Company (AWK) 26.2x, American States Water (AWR) 24.4x, Essential Utilities (WTRG) 23.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Essential Utilities (WTRG) is cheapest (American Water Works Company (AWK) 26.2x, American States Water (AWR) 23.4x, Essential Utilities (WTRG) 19.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

American States Water (AWR) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: American Water Works Company (AWK) +5.4%, American States Water (AWR) +13.2%, Essential Utilities (WTRG) +9.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Essential Utilities (WTRG) has the highest net margin (American Water Works Company (AWK) 21.3%, American States Water (AWR) 20.5%, Essential Utilities (WTRG) 21.6%). On return on invested capital, American States Water (AWR) leads (American Water Works Company (AWK) 6.0%, American States Water (AWR) 9.2%, Essential Utilities (WTRG) 5.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year American States Water (AWR) returned the most: American Water Works Company (AWK) +16.8%, American States Water (AWR) +18.8%, Essential Utilities (WTRG) +17.6%. Over five years, Essential Utilities (WTRG) compounded fastest (American Water Works Company (AWK) -2.5%/yr, American States Water (AWR) -1.2%/yr, Essential Utilities (WTRG) -1.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Essential Utilities (WTRG) has the highest dividend yield: American Water Works Company (AWK) 2.31%, American States Water (AWR) 2.32%, Essential Utilities (WTRG) 3.07%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, American States Water (AWR) has been the steadiest (American Water Works Company (AWK) 22.3%, American States Water (AWR) 20.1%, Essential Utilities (WTRG) 22.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AWK, AWR and WTRG?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, American States Water (AWR) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.