American Water Works (AWK) Stock Library

Competitive view

AWK vs. two close competitors

This section compares the current company against two nearby peers on valuation, growth, margins, balance-sheet strength, and investment setup. Green generally marks the strongest relative figure for that row, while red marks the weakest.

American Water Works

AWK

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Q1 2026

Market Cap

More scale can mean deeper resources and resilience, although bigger does not automatically mean better upside.

AWK

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American Water Works

NEE

—

NextEra Energy Inc.

—

Southern Company

Trailing P/E

Lower trailing P/E can indicate a cheaper valuation relative to trailing earnings, but it may also reflect slower growth or higher perceived risk.

AWK

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American Water Works

NEE

—

NextEra Energy Inc.

—

Southern Company

Forward P/E

Forward P/E is often a better read on what investors are paying for the next year of earnings power.

AWK

—

American Water Works

NEE

—

NextEra Energy Inc.

—

Southern Company

Revenue Growth

Higher revenue growth usually signals stronger demand, market share gains, or a business still in expansion mode.

AWK

—

American Water Works

NEE

—

NextEra Energy Inc.

—

Southern Company

Earnings Growth

Faster earnings growth matters because it shows management is converting sales momentum into shareholder value.

AWK

—

American Water Works

NEE

—

NextEra Energy Inc.

—

Southern Company

Operating Margin

Higher operating margin suggests better operating discipline, pricing power, or a structurally stronger business model.

AWK

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American Water Works

NEE

—

NextEra Energy Inc.

—

Southern Company

Gross Margin

Gross margin helps show how much product-level pricing power and unit economics a company has before overhead.

AWK

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American Water Works

NEE

—

NextEra Energy Inc.

—

Southern Company

Net Margin

Higher net margin means more of each dollar of revenue reaches the bottom line after all costs.

AWK

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American Water Works

NEE

—

NextEra Energy Inc.

—

Southern Company

Return on Equity

ROE shows how efficiently management turns shareholder capital into profits, though leverage can inflate it.

AWK

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American Water Works

NEE

—

NextEra Energy Inc.

—

Southern Company

Free Cash Flow Yield

Higher free cash flow yield can indicate a stronger cash return relative to the stock's market value.

AWK

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American Water Works

NEE

—

NextEra Energy Inc.

—

Southern Company

Debt to Equity

Lower leverage usually means less balance-sheet risk, though capital-intensive sectors naturally run higher debt loads.

AWK

—

American Water Works

NEE

—

NextEra Energy Inc.

—

Southern Company

Current Ratio

A stronger current ratio usually signals better short-term liquidity and more room to absorb shocks.

AWK

—

American Water Works

NEE

—

NextEra Energy Inc.

—

Southern Company

Beta

Lower beta often means lower volatility versus the market, while higher beta usually brings a rougher ride.

AWK

—

American Water Works

NEE

—

NextEra Energy Inc.

—

Southern Company

Dividend Yield

Dividend yield matters for income-focused investors, but a high yield can also reflect a stressed stock price.

AWK

—

American Water Works

NEE

—

NextEra Energy Inc.

—

Southern Company

Analyst Upside

Higher analyst upside suggests the Street still sees room between current price and consensus fair value.

AWK

—

American Water Works

NEE

—

NextEra Energy Inc.

—

Southern Company

American Water Works

Market context for AWK

AWK vs. two close competitors

Episode archive for AWK