Where it trades today
trading 61% of the way up its 52-week range
How the price has moved
What to weigh before acting
What Matters Now
- Rate sensitivity and regulatory visibility matter because the market tends to reward predictable cash generation here.
- AWK trades at 23.6x earnings, well above the utilities average of 16.0x, so the market is already pricing in above-consensus execution.
- Recent realized volatility is running around 19.2%, above the sector norm of 15.0%, so position sizing matters more than usual.
- Relative performance versus NEE, DUK, SO matters here because leadership inside utilities rarely stays static for long.
Portfolio Use Case
- AWK is more relevant for investors who want some income support alongside price appreciation, not just pure growth exposure.
- The beta profile suggests it can fit a quality or lower-volatility sleeve more naturally than a high-octane tactical basket.
- This page is most useful for deciding whether the stock deserves a permanent slot in the portfolio or just a place on the watchlist.
What Would Change the View
- A reset in earnings expectations or a faster peer catch-up could compress the premium valuation currently embedded in AWK.
- Volatility is already above the sector norm, so even a correct long-term thesis can be painful if the position size is too aggressive.
- The view would need revisiting if peers such as NEE, DUK, SO start winning the marginal flow or posting cleaner operating momentum.
Methodology
- Price, market cap, beta, yield, and liquidity fields for AWK come from Yahoo Finance quote and summary data.
- 30-day volatility is calculated from recent daily returns and annualized using a 252-trading-day convention.
- Sector context uses stored benchmark averages for Utilities so each page compares the ticker against a stable peer baseline rather than against the whole market.
- Peer comparisons use the Portfolio Terminal coverage set and highlight nearby listed alternatives such as NEE, DUK, SO.
Sources
- Yahoo Finance quote dataopen →
Live quote, valuation, beta, yield, and volume fields used for AWK. Last refresh: Sep 18, 2026, 10:56 PM.
- Portfolio Terminal methodologyopen →
Explains how analytics, refresh cadence, and portfolio interpretation work across the product.
- Peer set and coverage context
Comparative context for this page is anchored around nearby tracked names such as NEE, DUK, SO.
What American Water Works does
American Water Works Company, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services on military installations; and undertakes contracts with municipal customers, primarily to operate and manage water and wastewater facilities, as well as offers other related services. The company also operates approximately 80 surface water treatment plants; 520 groundwater treatment plants; 170 wastewater treatment plants; 55,000 miles of transmission, distribution, and collection mains and pipes; 1,200 groundwater wells; 1,800 water and wastewater pumping stations; 1,100 treated water storage facilities; and 75 dams. In…
Employees
7,000
Industry
Utilities - Regulated Water
Headquarters
Camden, United States
What analysts expect
AWK carries a hold consensus from 11 analysts, with an average price target of $141.45 versus $135.90 today (+4.1%). Targets are estimates and can move quickly after earnings.
Consensus aggregated by Yahoo Finance. Targets are estimates, not forecasts.
How the business is doing
AWK generated $5.28B in trailing revenue (6.2% year over year), with a 21.3% net margin, and -$1.79B of free cash flow, against $15.84B of net debt.
The numbers, year by year
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Gross profit | Operating income | Net income | EPS | Free cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5.14B | $3.12B | $1.88B | $1.11B | $5.69 | -$1.24B |
| 2024 | $4.68B | $2.83B | $1.72B | $1.05B | $5.39 | -$963.00M |
| 2023 | $4.23B | $2.51B | $1.50B | $944.00M | $4.90 | -$860.00M |
| 2022 | $3.79B | $2.20B | $1.27B | $820.00M | $4.51 | -$1.31B |
When it reports next
Estimates aggregated by Yahoo Finance. Dates move and estimates change until the report lands.
How it sits in utilities
Stable, regulated sector providing electricity, gas, and water services.
The companies it competes with
AWK beside the utilities names it is usually measured against.
What the chart is saying
American Water Works trades at $135.90, 6.7% below its 52-week high. With a beta of 0.58, it shows less sensitivity to what the wider market does.
Questions people ask about it
Is AWK a good buy right now?
American Water Works trades at 23.6x earnings. This is near market average. Current risk level is Medium based on 19.2% volatility.
Does AWK pay dividends?
Yes, American Water Works offers a dividend yield of 2.59%. That is roughly $3.52 per share a year.
How volatile is AWK?
With 30-day annualized volatility of 19.2% and beta of 0.58, AWK is classified as Medium risk. The stock tends to be more stable than the market average.
What is the analyst price target for AWK?
The average analyst price target for American Water Works (AWK) is $141.45 based on 11 analyst estimates, about 4.1% above the current price of $135.90. The published range runs from $128.00 to $162.00.
How much revenue does AWK generate?
American Water Works reported $5.28B in trailing twelve-month revenue. Revenue growth is running at 6.2% year over year. Net margin sits at 21.3%. Figures are aggregated from company filings by Yahoo Finance and refresh on an hourly cadence.