American Water Works (AWK)
Utilities · Water and Wastewater Utilities
America's largest water and wastewater utility serving millions of customers across 14+ states through both regulated operations and strategic acquisitions.
What American Water Works does
American Water Works is a public utility company that provides water and wastewater services to millions of customers across the United States. The company operates regulated water and wastewater systems in 14 states, with a customer mix of approximately 91% water and 9% wastewater. It generates revenue through rate adjustments authorized by regulatory commissions, general rate case filings, infrastructure surcharges, and acquisition-driven growth. The company also pursues strategic acquisitions of water and wastewater systems in existing and new markets to expand its geographic footprint and achieve operational efficiencies.
Themes: ["Water utility consolidation","Infrastructure investment and renewal","Regulatory rate recovery","Water quality and environmental compliance","Cybersecurity in utilities","Climate resilience and drought adaptation","PFAS and emerging contaminant remediation","Utility scale and operational efficiency"]
Fundamentals
- Price$130.55 as of 2026-07-09 close
- Market cap$25.5B as of 2026-07-10
- 1-year return-6.5% as of 2026-07-09 close
- P/E23.15 as of 2026-07-10
- Net margin+21.2% as of 2026-07-10
- ROE+10.1% as of 2026-07-10
- Debt / equity1.42 as of 2026-07-10
- Revenue growth (YoY)+8.1% as of 2026-07-10
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+10.8% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.58 as of 2026-07-10
Dividend: yield +2.7%; 5-year non-decreasing per-share dividend streak (SEC XBRL).
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Regulatory lag and rate authorization delays: The timing and outcome of rate case filings, infrastructure surcharges, and regulatory commission decisions directly impact revenue and profitability, creating uncertainty in cash flows and returns.","Water supply limitations and availability: Constraints on water supplies due to drought, allocation rights, governmental restrictions, and climate factors (especially in California) could limit service capacity and customer growth.","Rising financing costs and refinancing risk: Increasing interest rates and inflation pressures may increase the cost of debt and capital expenditures needed to support infrastructure investment and acquisition growth."]
Competitors & peers
- Veolia (VEOEY)
- Essential Utilities (WTRG)
- Aqua America
- Xylem (XYL)
Fundamentals: Finnhub, as of 2026-07-10. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-07-09.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & Finnhub, shown with their as-of date.