AWK vs. FE: American Water Works vs. FirstEnergy Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do American Water Works (AWK) and FirstEnergy (FE) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

American Water Works (AWK) and FirstEnergy (FE) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but AWK is classified in Water Utilities while FE is classified in Electric Utilities.

Company profile comparison for American Water Works (AWK) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Profile Item	AWK	FE
Name	American Water Works Company, Inc.	FirstEnergy Corp.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Water Utilities	Electric Utilities
GICS Sub-Industry	Water Utilities	Electric Utilities
Market Capitalization	29.92 billion USD	26.88 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	April 23, 2008	November 10, 1997
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AWK

GSPC

American Water Works (AWK) vs. FirstEnergy (FE), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for American Water Works (AWK) and FirstEnergy (FE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for American Water Works (AWK) and FirstEnergy (FE). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Metric	AWK	FE
Total Return (1Y)	17.61%	5.62%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	9.05%	14.20%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-0.39%	8.32%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AWK

GSPC

American Water Works (AWK) vs. FirstEnergy (FE), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for American Water Works (AWK) and FirstEnergy (FE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Metric	AWK	FE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	22.53%	16.31%
Beta (5Y)	0.54	0.39
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-37.10%	-28.59%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.03M	4.29M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AWK and FE are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Metric	AWK	FE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.59	0.08
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.95	0.11

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 9.95% and FirstEnergy (FE) at 10.04% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

AWK

Utilities industry group

9.95%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
AWK: 9.95%
Median: 9.44%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%

FE

Utilities industry group

10.04%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
FE: 10.04%
Median: 9.44%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%

American Water Works (AWK) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

American Water Works (AWK) at 21.26% keeps a top-quartile share of each sales dollar as profit, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 7.49% keeps a bottom-quartile share.

AWK

Utilities industry group

21.26%

Max: 28.78%
AWK: 21.26%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
Min: -0.20%

FE

Utilities industry group

7.49%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
FE: 7.49%
Min: -0.20%

American Water Works (AWK) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

American Water Works (AWK) at 43.18% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of FirstEnergy (FE) at 21.24%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AWK

Utilities industry group

43.18%

Max: 53.83%
AWK: 43.18%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

FE

Utilities industry group

21.24%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
FE: 21.24%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

American Water Works (AWK) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Metric	AWK	FE
ROE (TTM)	9.95%	10.04%
ROA (TTM)	3.50%	3.66%
Net Margin (TTM)	21.26%	7.49%
Operating Margin (TTM)	43.18%	21.24%
Gross Margin (TTM)	61.86%	69.63%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 9.74% and FirstEnergy (FE) at 12.01% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

American Water Works (AWK) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 5.57% and FirstEnergy (FE) at 3.53% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

American Water Works (AWK) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Metric	AWK	FE
Revenue Growth (YoY)	9.74%	12.01%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.67%	6.59%
EPS Growth (YoY)	5.57%	3.53%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.06%	35.34%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 0.39 and FirstEnergy (FE) at 0.38 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

AWK

Utilities industry group

0.39

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
AWK: 0.39
Min: 0.29

FE

Utilities industry group

0.38

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
FE: 0.38
Min: 0.29

American Water Works (AWK) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

American Water Works (AWK) at 1.38 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 2.07 uses more debt funding than most peers.

AWK

Utilities industry group

1.38

Max: 2.63
Q3: 1.77
AWK: 1.38
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

FE

Utilities industry group

2.07

Max: 2.63
FE: 2.07
Q3: 1.77
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

American Water Works (AWK) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Metric	AWK	FE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.39	0.38
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.38	2.07
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.49	5.85

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

FirstEnergy (FE) at 3.90% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while American Water Works (AWK) at 2.26% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, FE the richer one.

AWK

Utilities industry group

2.26%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
Median: 2.85%
AWK: 2.26%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

FE

Utilities industry group

3.90%

Max: 6.66%
FE: 3.90%
Q3: 3.58%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

American Water Works (AWK) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

American Water Works (AWK) at 59.60% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 87.92% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

AWK

Utilities industry group

59.60%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
AWK: 59.60%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
Min: 0.00%

FE

Utilities industry group

87.92%

Max: 113.04%
FE: 87.92%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
Min: 0.00%

American Water Works (AWK) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Metric	AWK	FE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.26%	3.90%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	59.60%	87.92%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

FirstEnergy (FE) at 22.43 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while American Water Works (AWK) at 26.00 sits in the richer quartile — AWK needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

AWK

Utilities industry group

26.00

Max: 31.22
AWK: 26.00
Q3: 23.30
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

FE

Utilities industry group

22.43

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
FE: 22.43
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

American Water Works (AWK) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

FirstEnergy (FE) at 1.68 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.

AWK

Utilities industry group

5.60

Max: 6.35
AWK: 5.60
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

FE

Utilities industry group

1.68

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
FE: 1.68
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

American Water Works (AWK) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

FirstEnergy (FE) at 2.07 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while American Water Works (AWK) at 2.51 carries an above-peer premium to book — AWK is pricier on assets.

AWK

Utilities industry group

2.51

Max: 3.12
AWK: 2.51
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

FE

Utilities industry group

2.07

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
FE: 2.07
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

American Water Works (AWK) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Metric	AWK	FE
P/E Ratio (TTM)	26.00	22.43
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.60	1.68
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.51	2.07
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-5.45%	-9.48%