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AWK vs. SBS: American Water Works vs. Sabesp Stock Comparison

How do American Water Works (AWK) and Sabesp (SBS) 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 Sabesp (SBS) are both classified in the Water Utilities sub-industry within the broader Water Utilities industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

American Water Works (AWK) trades as ordinary local shares, while Sabesp (SBS) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for American Water Works (AWK) and Sabesp (SBS)
Profile ItemAWKSBS
NameAmerican Water Works Company, Inc.Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP ADR
Country/RegionUnited StatesBrazil
GICS SectorUtilitiesUtilities
GICS Industry GroupUtilitiesUtilities
GICS IndustryWater UtilitiesWater Utilities
GICS Sub-IndustryWater UtilitiesWater Utilities
Market Capitalization29.92 billion USD16.96 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateApril 23, 2008May 10, 2002
Security TypeCommon StockADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

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

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for American Water Works (AWK) and Sabesp (SBS). 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 Sabesp (SBS)
MetricAWKSBS
Total Return (1Y)17.61%-3.72%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)9.05%28.33%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-0.39%32.85%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AWK
SBS
GSPC
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sabesp (SBS), 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 Sabesp (SBS). 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 Sabesp (SBS)
MetricAWKSBS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)22.53%46.80%
Beta (5Y)0.540.76
Max Drawdown (5Y)-37.10%-37.59%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.03M11.85M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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AWK and SBS 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 Sabesp (SBS)
MetricAWKSBS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.59-0.17
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.95-0.22

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Sabesp (SBS) at 16.27% sits in the top ROE quartile, while American Water Works (AWK) at 9.95% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for SBS.

AWK

Utilities industry group

9.95%

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

SBS

Utilities industry group

16.27%

Max
17.99%
SBS
16.27%
Q3
12.01%
Median
9.44%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sabesp (SBS): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both American Water Works (AWK) at 21.26% and Sabesp (SBS) at 17.52% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

AWK

Utilities industry group

21.26%

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

SBS

Utilities industry group

17.52%

Max
28.78%
SBS
17.52%
Q3
17.30%
Median
12.73%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sabesp (SBS): 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 Sabesp (SBS) at 29.28%, 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%

SBS

Utilities industry group

29.28%

Max
53.83%
Q3
31.12%
SBS
29.28%
Median
23.62%
Q1
15.45%
Min
-4.90%
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sabesp (SBS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and Sabesp (SBS)
MetricAWKSBS
ROE (TTM)9.95%16.27%
ROA (TTM)3.50%8.08%
Net Margin (TTM)21.26%17.52%
Operating Margin (TTM)43.18%29.28%
Gross Margin (TTM)61.86%36.96%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 9.74% and Sabesp (SBS) at 5.39% 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. Sabesp (SBS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

American Water Works (AWK) at 5.57% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Sabesp (SBS) at -11.79% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and Sabesp (SBS)
MetricAWKSBS
Revenue Growth (YoY)9.74%5.39%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)10.67%19.98%
EPS Growth (YoY)5.57%-11.79%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)8.06%40.65%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Sabesp (SBS) at 1.22 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while American Water Works (AWK) at 0.39 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

AWK

Utilities industry group

0.39

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

SBS

Utilities industry group

1.22

Max
1.90
SBS
1.22
Q3
1.17
Median
0.88
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sabesp (SBS): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 1.38 and Sabesp (SBS) at 0.99 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

SBS

Utilities industry group

0.99

Max
2.63
Q3
1.77
Median
1.35
SBS
0.99
Q1
0.84
Min
0.00
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sabesp (SBS): 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 Sabesp (SBS)
MetricAWKSBS
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.391.22
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.380.99
Net Debt / EBITDA5.492.30

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Sabesp (SBS) 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%

SBS

Utilities industry group

0.00%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
Median
2.85%
Q1
0.66%
SBS
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sabesp (SBS): 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 Sabesp (SBS) at 35.95% 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%

SBS

Utilities industry group

35.95%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
Median
56.38%
SBS
35.95%
Q1
32.38%
Min
0.00%
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sabesp (SBS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and Sabesp (SBS)
MetricAWKSBS
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.26%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)59.60%35.95%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Sabesp (SBS) at 11.73 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while American Water Works (AWK) at 26.00 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

AWK

Utilities industry group

26.00

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

SBS

Utilities industry group

11.73

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
Median
19.64
Q1
15.17
SBS
11.73
Min
3.34
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sabesp (SBS): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Sabesp (SBS) at 0.41 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while American Water Works (AWK) at 5.60 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

AWK

Utilities industry group

5.60

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

SBS

Utilities industry group

0.41

Max
6.35
Q3
3.63
Median
2.63
Q1
1.52
SBS
0.41
Min
0.00
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sabesp (SBS): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Sabesp (SBS) at 1.84 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

SBS

Utilities industry group

1.84

Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
SBS
1.84
Median
1.83
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34
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American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sabesp (SBS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and Sabesp (SBS)
MetricAWKSBS
P/E Ratio (TTM)26.0011.73
P/S Ratio (TTM)5.600.41
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.511.84
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-5.45%-62.11%