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AWK vs. PPL: American Water Works vs. PPL Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for American Water Works (AWK) and PPL (PPL)
Profile ItemAWKPPL
NameAmerican Water Works Company, Inc.PPL Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorUtilitiesUtilities
GICS Industry GroupUtilitiesUtilities
GICS IndustryWater UtilitiesElectric Utilities
GICS Sub-IndustryWater UtilitiesElectric Utilities
Market Capitalization29.92 billion USD26.94 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateApril 23, 2008March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AWK
PPL
GSPC
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. PPL (PPL), 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 PPL (PPL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for American Water Works (AWK) and PPL (PPL). 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 PPL (PPL)
MetricAWKPPL
Total Return (1Y)17.61%1.73%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)9.05%16.47%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-0.39%8.32%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AWK
PPL
GSPC
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. PPL (PPL), 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 PPL (PPL). 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 PPL (PPL)
MetricAWKPPL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)22.53%18.30%
Beta (5Y)0.540.54
Max Drawdown (5Y)-37.10%-24.73%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.03M7.63M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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AWK and PPL 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 PPL (PPL)
MetricAWKPPL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.59-0.14
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.95-0.19

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 9.95% and PPL (PPL) at 8.63% 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%

PPL

Utilities industry group

8.63%

Max
17.99%
Q3
12.01%
Median
9.44%
PPL
8.63%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

American Water Works (AWK) at 21.26% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of PPL (PPL) at 13.47%, which keeps about the industry-typical 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%

PPL

Utilities industry group

13.47%

Max
28.78%
Q3
17.30%
PPL
13.47%
Median
12.73%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. PPL (PPL): 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 PPL (PPL) at 23.59%, 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%

PPL

Utilities industry group

23.59%

Max
53.83%
Q3
31.12%
Median
23.62%
PPL
23.59%
Q1
15.45%
Min
-4.90%
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and PPL (PPL)
MetricAWKPPL
ROE (TTM)9.95%8.63%
ROA (TTM)3.50%3.20%
Net Margin (TTM)21.26%13.47%
Operating Margin (TTM)43.18%23.59%
Gross Margin (TTM)61.86%44.09%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 9.74% and PPL (PPL) at 6.85% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

PPL (PPL) at 32.50% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while American Water Works (AWK) at 5.57% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for PPL.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and PPL (PPL)
MetricAWKPPL
Revenue Growth (YoY)9.74%6.85%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)10.67%4.59%
EPS Growth (YoY)5.57%32.50%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)8.06%15.95%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

PPL (PPL) at 0.91 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.

AWK

Utilities industry group

0.39

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

PPL

Utilities industry group

0.91

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
PPL
0.91
Median
0.88
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 1.38 and PPL (PPL) at 1.35 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AWK

Utilities industry group

1.38

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

PPL

Utilities industry group

1.35

Max
2.63
Q3
1.77
PPL
1.35
Median
1.35
Q1
0.84
Min
0.00
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. PPL (PPL): 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 PPL (PPL)
MetricAWKPPL
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.390.91
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.381.35
Net Debt / EBITDA5.495.33

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

PPL (PPL) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile American Water Works (AWK) reports a yield of 2.26%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AWK

Utilities industry group

2.26%

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

PPL

Utilities industry group

0.00%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
Median
2.85%
Q1
0.66%
PPL
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 59.60% and PPL (PPL) at 65.98% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

AWK

Utilities industry group

59.60%

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

PPL

Utilities industry group

65.98%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
PPL
65.98%
Median
56.38%
Q1
32.38%
Min
0.00%
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and PPL (PPL)
MetricAWKPPL
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.26%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)59.60%65.98%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

PPL (PPL) at 20.57 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

PPL

Utilities industry group

20.57

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
PPL
20.57
Median
19.64
Q1
15.17
Min
3.34
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

PPL (PPL) at 2.87 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

PPL

Utilities industry group

2.87

Max
6.35
Q3
3.63
PPL
2.87
Median
2.63
Q1
1.52
Min
0.00
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

PPL (PPL) at 1.81 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

PPL

Utilities industry group

1.81

Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
Median
1.83
PPL
1.81
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and PPL (PPL)
MetricAWKPPL
P/E Ratio (TTM)26.0020.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)5.602.87
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.511.81
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-5.45%-7.19%