34 years of historical data (1992–2025) · Utilities · Regulated Water
Percentile shows where the current value sits in 30-year historical distribution. Sparklines show 5-year trend.
Price-based multiples — how expensive the stock is relative to earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow
American Water Works Company, Inc. trades at 21.9x earnings, 18% below its 5-year average of 26.8x, sitting at the 25th percentile of its historical range. Compared to the Utilities sector median P/E of 19.0x, the stock trades at a premium of 16%.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $24.4B | $25.4B | $24.3B | $25.5B | $27.7B | $34.4B | $27.9B | $22.2B | $16.3B | $16.4B | $13.0B |
| Enterprise Value | $40.2B | $41.2B | $38.3B | $37.6B | $40.1B | $45.3B | $38.4B | $31.7B | $24.8B | $24.0B | $20.1B |
| P/E Ratio → | 21.94 | 22.89 | 23.10 | 26.99 | 33.80 | 27.21 | 39.35 | 35.82 | 28.82 | 38.44 | 27.62 |
| P/S Ratio | 4.75 | 4.95 | 5.18 | 6.02 | 7.32 | 8.75 | 7.40 | 6.16 | 4.75 | 4.88 | 3.92 |
| P/B Ratio | 2.25 | 2.35 | 2.35 | 2.60 | 3.61 | 4.71 | 4.33 | 3.63 | 2.79 | 3.04 | 2.48 |
| P/FCF | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| P/OCF | 11.86 | 12.36 | 11.87 | 13.59 | 25.04 | 23.85 | 19.59 | 16.08 | 11.79 | 11.30 | 10.15 |
P/E links to full P/E history page with 30-year chart
Enterprise-value multiples — capital-structure-neutral measures of total business value
American Water Works Company, Inc.'s enterprise value stands at 14.5x EBITDA, 22% below its 5-year average of 18.6x. The Utilities sector median is 11.9x, placing the stock at a 22% premium on an enterprise-value basis.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV / Revenue | — | 8.02 | 8.17 | 8.88 | 10.58 | 11.53 | 10.17 | 8.79 | 7.21 | 7.16 | 6.07 |
| EV / EBITDA | 14.51 | 14.87 | 15.28 | 17.02 | 20.87 | 24.74 | 20.74 | 17.66 | 15.07 | 13.78 | 12.94 |
| EV / EBIT | 21.41 | 21.95 | 20.35 | 22.70 | 29.71 | 35.57 | 29.07 | 26.02 | 21.61 | 18.96 | 18.09 |
| EV / FCF | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Margins and return-on-capital ratios measuring operating efficiency
American Water Works Company, Inc. earns an operating margin of 36.6%, significantly above the Utilities sector average of 18.5%. Operating margins have expanded from 35.5% to 36.6% over the past 3 years, signaling improving operational efficiency. ROE of 10.5% is modest. ROIC of 5.5% represents adequate returns on invested capital.
Full margin charts and quarterly trend are on the Earnings History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 43.3% | 43.3% | 60.3% | 59.4% | 58.1% | 54.8% | 57.1% | 57.2% | 57.0% | 59.0% | 54.5% |
| Operating Margin | 36.6% | 36.6% | 36.7% | 35.5% | 33.6% | 30.4% | 33.0% | 33.6% | 32.0% | 37.3% | 32.7% |
| Net Profit Margin | 21.6% | 21.6% | 22.4% | 22.3% | 21.6% | 32.1% | 18.8% | 17.2% | 16.5% | 12.7% | 14.2% |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 10.5% | 10.5% | 10.4% | 10.8% | 10.9% | 18.4% | 11.3% | 10.4% | 10.1% | 8.0% | 9.1% |
| ROA | 3.2% | 3.2% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 3.0% | 5.0% | 3.0% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 2.2% | 2.6% |
| ROIC | 5.5% | 5.5% | 5.6% | 5.4% | 5.0% | 5.1% | 5.8% | 6.1% | 6.0% | 7.4% | 6.8% |
| ROCE | 6.1% | 6.1% | 5.9% | 5.7% | 5.2% | 5.2% | 5.9% | 6.1% | 6.1% | 7.5% | 6.8% |
Solvency and debt-coverage ratios — lower is generally safer
American Water Works Company, Inc. carries a Debt/EBITDA ratio of 5.7x, which is highly leveraged (11% above the sector average of 5.2x). Net debt stands at $15.8B ($15.9B total debt minus $119M cash). Interest coverage of 3.1x is adequate, though a cyclical earnings downturn could tighten the margin of safety.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 1.47 | 1.47 | 1.37 | 1.27 | 1.62 | 1.52 | 1.71 | 1.56 | 1.47 | 1.43 | 1.38 |
| Debt / EBITDA | 5.74 | 5.74 | 5.63 | 5.63 | 6.48 | 6.04 | 5.95 | 5.31 | 5.22 | 4.42 | 4.63 |
| Net Debt / Equity | — | 1.46 | 1.36 | 1.24 | 1.61 | 1.50 | 1.62 | 1.55 | 1.45 | 1.42 | 1.36 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 5.70 | 5.70 | 5.59 | 5.49 | 6.43 | 5.97 | 5.66 | 5.28 | 5.15 | 4.39 | 4.59 |
| Debt / FCF | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Interest Coverage | 3.06 | 3.06 | 3.60 | 3.60 | 3.12 | 3.16 | 3.33 | 3.16 | 3.18 | 3.56 | 3.27 |
Short-term solvency ratios and asset-utilisation metrics
The current ratio of 0.46x is below 1.0, meaning current liabilities exceed current assets. The current ratio has declined from 0.65x to 0.46x over the past 3 years.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 0.46 | 0.46 | 0.39 | 0.65 | 0.44 | 0.73 | 0.66 | 0.63 | 0.37 | 0.31 | 0.33 |
| Quick Ratio | 0.46 | 0.46 | 0.35 | 0.59 | 0.41 | 0.70 | 0.65 | 0.61 | 0.35 | 0.29 | 0.31 |
| Cash Ratio | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.06 | 0.15 | 0.03 | 0.05 | 0.19 | 0.03 | 0.06 | 0.02 | 0.03 |
| Asset Turnover | — | 0.14 | 0.14 | 0.14 | 0.14 | 0.15 | 0.15 | 0.16 | 0.16 | 0.17 | 0.18 |
| Inventory Turnover | — | — | 18.04 | 15.36 | 16.21 | 31.18 | 34.51 | 35.09 | 36.07 | 33.61 | 38.56 |
| Days Sales Outstanding | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Earnings, FCF, buyback, and dividend yields — total returns to shareholders
American Water Works Company, Inc. returns 2.6% to shareholders annually primarily through dividends. A payout ratio of 57.0% is moderate and appears sustainable, balancing shareholder returns with reinvestment capacity. The earnings yield of 4.6% (inverse of P/E) provides a useful comparison to bond yields when assessing the stock's relative attractiveness to fixed income.
Full dividend history and growth charts are on the Dividend History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.1% | 1.7% | 1.2% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.0% |
| Payout Ratio | 57.0% | 57.0% | 55.7% | 56.4% | 57.0% | 33.9% | 54.9% | 56.8% | 56.3% | 67.8% | 55.8% |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Yield | 4.6% | 4.4% | 4.3% | 3.7% | 3.0% | 3.7% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 3.5% | 2.6% | 3.6% |
| FCF Yield | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Buyback Yield | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Total Shareholder Yield | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.1% | 1.7% | 1.2% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 2.1% | 2.5% |
| Shares Outstanding | — | $195M | $195M | $193M | $182M | $182M | $182M | $181M | $180M | $179M | $179M |
Compare AWK with 10 similar companies in its peer group
| Company | Market Cap | P/E | EV/EBITDA | P/FCF | Gross Margin | Op Margin | ROE | ROIC | Debt/EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $24B | 21.9 | 14.5 | — | 43.3% | 36.6% | 10.5% | 5.5% | 5.7 | |
| $10B | 16.7 | 14.0 | — | 41.0% | 37.2% | 9.4% | 4.8% | 6.2 | |
| $3B | 21.0 | 13.1 | — | 36.7% | 18.2% | 7.7% | 4.4% | 5.0 | |
| $967M | 22.1 | 15.9 | — | 39.2% | 27.9% | 9.1% | 4.7% | 4.8 | |
| $426M | 21.2 | 15.7 | — | 54.8% | 35.8% | 8.5% | 4.6% | 5.5 | |
| $332M | 14.6 | 10.4 | — | 37.2% | 31.5% | 9.3% | 6.3% | 3.7 | |
| $3B | 22.9 | 15.7 | — | 50.8% | 30.9% | 13.3% | 8.0% | 3.7 | |
| $204M | 64.5 | 15.0 | — | 44.9% | 12.8% | 4.4% | 2.8% | 6.1 | |
| $11B | 27.0 | 14.2 | 19.8 | 36.3% | 22.5% | 23.7% | 16.8% | 2.0 | |
| $26B | 28.4 | 15.0 | 29.1 | 38.5% | 13.5% | 8.5% | 7.6% | 1.1 | |
| $12B | 18.8 | 13.9 | 16.1 | 40.5% | 20.5% | 17.6% | 12.1% | 1.7 | |
| Utilities Median | — | 19.0 | 11.9 | 18.6 | 38.4% | 18.5% | 9.3% | 4.9% | 5.2 |
Peer selection based on competitive and market overlap. Compare multiple stocks →
Includes 30+ ratios · 30 years · Updated daily
Deep dive into AWK consensus models and risk factors.
DCF models, multiple analysis, and analyst estimates.
10-year return with dividends reinvested.
See how regular investing compounds over time.
Compare growth, multiples, and margins vs sector.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying AWK stock.
American Water Works Company, Inc.'s current P/E ratio is 21.9x. The historical average is 26.4x. This places it at the 25th percentile of its historical range.
American Water Works Company, Inc.'s current EV/EBITDA is 14.5x. This enterprise value multiple compares the company's total value (equity + debt - cash) to its EBITDA. The historical average is 17.8x.
American Water Works Company, Inc.'s return on equity (ROE) is 10.5%. The historical average is 7.6%.
Based on historical data, American Water Works Company, Inc. is trading at a P/E of 21.9x. This is at the 25th percentile of its historical P/E range. Compare with industry peers and growth rates for a complete picture.
American Water Works Company, Inc.'s current dividend yield is 2.60% with a payout ratio of 57.0%.
American Water Works Company, Inc. has 43.3% gross margin and 36.6% operating margin. Operating margin above 20% indicates strong pricing power and cost efficiency.
American Water Works Company, Inc.'s Debt/EBITDA ratio is 5.7x, indicating high leverage. A ratio above 4x may signal elevated financial risk.