AWK vs. CMS: American Water Works vs. CMS Energy Stock Comparison

Company Profile

American Water Works (AWK) and CMS Energy (CMS) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but AWK is classified in Water Utilities while CMS is classified in Multi-Utilities.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

American Water Works (AWK) at 9.95% is around its peer norm for ROE, while CMS Energy (CMS) at 5.31% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker returns on shareholders’ equity.

American Water Works (AWK) at 21.26% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of CMS Energy (CMS) at 9.72%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

American Water Works (AWK) at 43.18% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of CMS Energy (CMS) at 28.45%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

CMS Energy (CMS) at 13.63% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while American Water Works (AWK) at 9.74% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for CMS.

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 5.57% and CMS Energy (CMS) at 4.19% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

CMS Energy (CMS) at 0.95 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while American Water Works (AWK) at 0.39 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for AWK.

American Water Works (AWK) at 1.38 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while CMS Energy (CMS) at 1.96 uses more debt funding than most peers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 2.26% and CMS Energy (CMS) at 3.21% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

American Water Works (AWK) at 59.60% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while CMS Energy (CMS) at 80.45% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 26.00 and CMS Energy (CMS) at 24.71 sit in the richer earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, so investors are paying more for TTM earnings than they pay for typical peers.

CMS Energy (CMS) at 2.42 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while American Water Works (AWK) at 5.60 sits in the pricier quartile — AWK costs more per dollar of sales.

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 2.51 and CMS Energy (CMS) at 2.28 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

Valuation Metrics