American Water Works (AWK) Competitors

American Water Works logo
$125.25 +0.18 (+0.14%)
Closing price 06/18/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$125.76 +0.51 (+0.41%)
As of 06/18/2026 07:58 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more.

AWK vs. CWCO, GWRS, MSEX, AWR, and CWT

Should you buy American Water Works stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares American Water Works with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with American Water Works include Consolidated Water (CWCO), Global Water Resources (GWRS), Middlesex Water (MSEX), American States Water (AWR), and California Water Service Group (CWT). These companies are all part of the "util - water sply" industry.

How does American Water Works compare to Consolidated Water?

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) and Consolidated Water (NASDAQ:CWCO) are both utilities companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, risk, institutional ownership, media sentiment, earnings, valuation, dividends and analyst recommendations.

American Water Works currently has a consensus price target of $138.11, suggesting a potential upside of 10.27%. Consolidated Water has a consensus price target of $40.00, suggesting a potential upside of 33.56%. Given Consolidated Water's higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Consolidated Water is more favorable than American Water Works.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
American Water Works
1 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.10
Consolidated Water
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.00

American Water Works has a beta of 0.62, suggesting that its stock price is 38% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Consolidated Water has a beta of 0.5, suggesting that its stock price is 50% less volatile than the broader market.

American Water Works has higher revenue and earnings than Consolidated Water. American Water Works is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Consolidated Water, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
American Water Works$5.14B4.76$1.11B$5.6422.21
Consolidated Water$132.07M3.63$18.34M$0.9033.28

American Water Works has a net margin of 21.17% compared to Consolidated Water's net margin of 13.50%. American Water Works' return on equity of 10.20% beat Consolidated Water's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
American Water Works21.17% 10.20% 3.18%
Consolidated Water 13.50%7.81%6.84%

American Water Works pays an annual dividend of $3.58 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Consolidated Water pays an annual dividend of $0.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.9%. American Water Works pays out 63.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Consolidated Water pays out 62.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. American Water Works has increased its dividend for 18 consecutive years and Consolidated Water has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years. American Water Works is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

86.6% of American Water Works shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 55.2% of Consolidated Water shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of American Water Works shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.3% of Consolidated Water shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, American Water Works had 14 more articles in the media than Consolidated Water. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for American Water Works and 0 mentions for Consolidated Water. American Water Works' average media sentiment score of 0.65 beat Consolidated Water's score of 0.00 indicating that American Water Works is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Overall Sentiment
American Water Works Positive
Consolidated Water Neutral

Summary

American Water Works beats Consolidated Water on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does American Water Works compare to Global Water Resources?

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) and Global Water Resources (NASDAQ:GWRS) are both utilities companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, media sentiment, risk, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability and valuation.

American Water Works has a net margin of 21.17% compared to Global Water Resources' net margin of 3.53%. American Water Works' return on equity of 10.20% beat Global Water Resources' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
American Water Works21.17% 10.20% 3.18%
Global Water Resources 3.53%3.53%0.63%

American Water Works pays an annual dividend of $3.58 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Global Water Resources pays an annual dividend of $0.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.2%. American Water Works pays out 63.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Global Water Resources pays out 428.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. American Water Works has increased its dividend for 18 consecutive years and Global Water Resources has increased its dividend for 8 consecutive years.

In the previous week, American Water Works had 14 more articles in the media than Global Water Resources. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for American Water Works and 0 mentions for Global Water Resources. American Water Works' average media sentiment score of 0.65 beat Global Water Resources' score of 0.00 indicating that American Water Works is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Overall Sentiment
American Water Works Positive
Global Water Resources Neutral

American Water Works has a beta of 0.62, indicating that its stock price is 38% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Global Water Resources has a beta of 0.92, indicating that its stock price is 8% less volatile than the broader market.

American Water Works has higher revenue and earnings than Global Water Resources. American Water Works is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Global Water Resources, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
American Water Works$5.14B4.76$1.11B$5.6422.21
Global Water Resources$55.76M3.66$2.96M$0.07101.29

86.6% of American Water Works shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 27.9% of Global Water Resources shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of American Water Works shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 53.7% of Global Water Resources shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

American Water Works currently has a consensus price target of $138.11, indicating a potential upside of 10.27%. Global Water Resources has a consensus price target of $15.00, indicating a potential upside of 111.57%. Given Global Water Resources' higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Global Water Resources is more favorable than American Water Works.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
American Water Works
1 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.10
Global Water Resources
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.50

Summary

American Water Works beats Global Water Resources on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does American Water Works compare to Middlesex Water?

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) and Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX) are both utilities companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, risk, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, media sentiment, profitability and analyst recommendations.

American Water Works pays an annual dividend of $3.58 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Middlesex Water pays an annual dividend of $1.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. American Water Works pays out 63.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Middlesex Water pays out 60.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. American Water Works has increased its dividend for 18 consecutive years and Middlesex Water has increased its dividend for 52 consecutive years.

In the previous week, American Water Works had 14 more articles in the media than Middlesex Water. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for American Water Works and 0 mentions for Middlesex Water. Middlesex Water's average media sentiment score of 0.75 beat American Water Works' score of 0.65 indicating that Middlesex Water is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Overall Sentiment
American Water Works Positive
Middlesex Water Positive

American Water Works has a beta of 0.62, indicating that its share price is 38% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Middlesex Water has a beta of 0.79, indicating that its share price is 21% less volatile than the broader market.

86.6% of American Water Works shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 79.5% of Middlesex Water shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of American Water Works shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.9% of Middlesex Water shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

American Water Works currently has a consensus price target of $138.11, suggesting a potential upside of 10.27%. Middlesex Water has a consensus price target of $56.67, suggesting a potential upside of 8.85%. Given American Water Works' higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe American Water Works is more favorable than Middlesex Water.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
American Water Works
1 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.10
Middlesex Water
0 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50

Middlesex Water has a net margin of 22.07% compared to American Water Works' net margin of 21.17%. American Water Works' return on equity of 10.20% beat Middlesex Water's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
American Water Works21.17% 10.20% 3.18%
Middlesex Water 22.07%9.08%3.25%

American Water Works has higher revenue and earnings than Middlesex Water. Middlesex Water is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than American Water Works, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
American Water Works$5.14B4.76$1.11B$5.6422.21
Middlesex Water$194.69M4.98$42.82M$2.4021.69

Summary

American Water Works beats Middlesex Water on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does American Water Works compare to American States Water?

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) and American States Water (NYSE:AWR) are both utilities companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, profitability, institutional ownership, risk, dividends and earnings.

86.6% of American Water Works shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.2% of American States Water shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of American Water Works shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of American States Water shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

American Water Works has a beta of 0.62, indicating that its share price is 38% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, American States Water has a beta of 0.6, indicating that its share price is 40% less volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, American Water Works had 12 more articles in the media than American States Water. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for American Water Works and 2 mentions for American States Water. American States Water's average media sentiment score of 0.85 beat American Water Works' score of 0.65 indicating that American States Water is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
American Water Works
5 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
9 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
American States Water
2 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

American Water Works currently has a consensus target price of $138.11, suggesting a potential upside of 10.27%. Given American Water Works' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe American Water Works is more favorable than American States Water.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
American Water Works
1 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.10
American States Water
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.00

American Water Works has higher revenue and earnings than American States Water. American Water Works is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than American States Water, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
American Water Works$5.14B4.76$1.11B$5.6422.21
American States Water$658.07M4.59$130.44M$3.4322.45

American Water Works pays an annual dividend of $3.58 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. American States Water pays an annual dividend of $2.02 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. American Water Works pays out 63.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. American States Water pays out 58.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. American Water Works has raised its dividend for 18 consecutive years and American States Water has raised its dividend for 71 consecutive years.

American Water Works has a net margin of 21.17% compared to American States Water's net margin of 19.66%. American States Water's return on equity of 13.06% beat American Water Works' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
American Water Works21.17% 10.20% 3.18%
American States Water 19.66%13.06%4.99%

Summary

American Water Works beats American States Water on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does American Water Works compare to California Water Service Group?

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT) and American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) are both utilities companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, risk, valuation, institutional ownership, media sentiment, dividends and analyst recommendations.

In the previous week, American Water Works had 13 more articles in the media than California Water Service Group. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for American Water Works and 1 mentions for California Water Service Group. American Water Works' average media sentiment score of 0.65 beat California Water Service Group's score of 0.00 indicating that American Water Works is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
California Water Service Group
0 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
American Water Works
5 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
9 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

82.8% of California Water Service Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 86.6% of American Water Works shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.8% of California Water Service Group shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of American Water Works shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

California Water Service Group pays an annual dividend of $1.34 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. American Water Works pays an annual dividend of $3.58 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. California Water Service Group pays out 67.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. American Water Works pays out 63.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. California Water Service Group has raised its dividend for 59 consecutive years and American Water Works has raised its dividend for 18 consecutive years. California Water Service Group is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

American Water Works has a net margin of 21.17% compared to California Water Service Group's net margin of 11.77%. American Water Works' return on equity of 10.20% beat California Water Service Group's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
California Water Service Group11.77% 7.06% 2.13%
American Water Works 21.17%10.20%3.18%

California Water Service Group has a beta of 0.53, suggesting that its share price is 47% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, American Water Works has a beta of 0.62, suggesting that its share price is 38% less volatile than the broader market.

California Water Service Group presently has a consensus price target of $54.50, indicating a potential upside of 20.57%. American Water Works has a consensus price target of $138.11, indicating a potential upside of 10.27%. Given California Water Service Group's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe California Water Service Group is more favorable than American Water Works.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
California Water Service Group
0 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50
American Water Works
1 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.10

American Water Works has higher revenue and earnings than California Water Service Group. American Water Works is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than California Water Service Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
California Water Service Group$1.00B2.71$128.21M$2.0022.60
American Water Works$5.14B4.76$1.11B$5.6422.21

Summary

American Water Works beats California Water Service Group on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding AWK and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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AWK vs. The Competition

MetricAmerican Water WorksUTIL IndustryUtilities SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$24.42B$7.70B$18.63B$23.21B
Dividend Yield2.86%2.99%3.98%4.06%
P/E Ratio22.2123.7920.1131.61
Price / Sales4.764.2627.91112.15
Price / Cash12.2312.3319.2624.44
Price / Book2.261.992.454.68
Net Income$1.11B$416.55M$785.96M$1.08B
7 Day Performance-0.79%-0.87%-0.12%-0.82%
1 Month Performance2.33%1.45%-0.93%1.61%
1 Year Performance-11.26%-10.46%15.68%24.87%

American Water Works Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
AWK
American Water Works
3.6496 of 5 stars
$125.25
+0.1%
$138.11
+10.3%
-11.1%$24.42B$5.14B22.217,000
CWCO
Consolidated Water
3.6617 of 5 stars
$29.83
-0.9%
$40.00
+34.1%
+2.1%$477.28M$128.33M33.14200
GWRS
Global Water Resources
4.53 of 5 stars
$6.72
-4.4%
$15.00
+123.2%
-32.1%$193.27M$55.76M96.0090
MSEX
Middlesex Water
2.2819 of 5 stars
$52.71
-0.4%
$56.67
+7.5%
-7.3%$981.46M$194.69M21.96350
AWR
American States Water
3.5237 of 5 stars
$77.46
-0.4%
N/A-1.1%$3.05B$679.25M22.58810

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This page (NYSE:AWK) was last updated on 6/20/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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