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The Company With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse, publicly-traded water and wastewater utility company in the United States, as measured by both operating revenues and population served. A holding company originally incorporated in Delaware in 1936, the Company employs approximately 7,000 professionals who provide drinking water, wast…
$135.11
+$0.78 (+0.58%)
EOD Jul 17, 2026
36.56% operating margin is above average. ROIC at 6.13%. Note that capital returns lag the margin, the business may be capital-intensive despite high margins.
Revenue grew 9.7%, steady but not accelerating.
Negative free cash flow of -$1.07B. The business is consuming cash, not generating it.
24.0x earnings. Valuation is in a reasonable range. The main question is whether the business can re-accelerate or if current trajectory is already priced in.
Based on TTM earnings · Diluted shares
Profitability & Returns
Revenue (TTM)
$5.21B
▲ +9.7% YoY
Net Income (TTM)
$1.10B
▲ +5.7% YoY
Op. Margin
36.48%
▼ -0.1pp YoY
ROIC
6.03%
Cash Flow & Balance Sheet
FCF (FY)
-$1.07B
▼ -31.6% YoY
Op. Cash Flow (TTM)
$2.03B
▲ +0.7% YoY
Net Debt
$15.56B
Cash & Equiv.
$137M
5Y CAGR: +6.4%
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At a P/E of 24.0, American Water Works Company (AWK)'s valuation is best read against its own history, its peers, and the growth its price implies. A high multiple is not the same as overvalued: fast-growing, high-quality businesses can deserve a premium. See the general approach in how to tell if a stock is overvalued.
On quality, American Water Works Company scores 32/100 on Intrinsiqq's quality scorecard (a lower-quality business on these measures), weighing growth, margins, returns on capital, share count, and balance-sheet strength. It currently yields about 2.5%; see dividend safety for coverage and history. All figures are computed from SEC filings; read the full methodology. This is analysis, not investment advice.
American Water Works Company scores 32 out of 100 on Intrinsiqq's quality score, a weighted blend of 7 metrics each scored 0 to 100, which makes it a lower-quality business on these measures. Recent fundamentals include a 36.5% operating margin and a 6.0% return on invested capital. The score weighs revenue and free-cash-flow growth, operating margins, return on invested capital, share-count change, and balance-sheet strength, all computed from SEC filings, not opinion. Because valuation only means something relative to quality, the full metric-by-metric breakdown is on the quality scorecard.
Yes, American Water Works Company pays a regular dividend of about $3.31 per share per year (typically in quarterly installments), a yield of roughly 2.5% at the current price. That is a payout ratio of about 58.6% of earnings, so the dividend is well covered. American Water Works Company has grown the dividend at roughly 10.3% a year over the past few years. A low headline yield is not the same as a weak dividend: what matters is how well earnings and free cash flow cover the payout and whether it is growing, not the percentage alone. For AWK's full payout history, growth streak and dividend-safety score, see the dividends tab.
That depends on valuation and quality together, not either alone. you should weigh AWK's valuation and scores 32/100 on quality (lower-quality). It also yields about 2.5%. A cheap price is only a bargain if the business is durable, and a premium can be justified by genuine quality, so the two questions, "is it cheap?" and "is it good?", only make sense side by side. Read the valuation against the quality scorecard, run the DCF on your own assumptions, and decide for yourself. This is analysis from SEC filings, not investment advice.