AWK vs. SRE: American Water Works vs. Sempra Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do American Water Works (AWK) and Sempra (SRE) 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 Sempra (SRE) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but AWK is classified in Water Utilities while SRE is classified in Multi-Utilities.

Company profile comparison for American Water Works (AWK) and Sempra (SRE)
Profile Item	AWK	SRE
Name	American Water Works Company, Inc.	Sempra
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Water Utilities	Multi-Utilities
GICS Sub-Industry	Water Utilities	Multi-Utilities
Market Capitalization	29.92 billion USD	51.13 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	April 23, 2008	June 29, 1998
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AWK

SRE

GSPC

American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sempra (SRE), 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 Sempra (SRE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for American Water Works (AWK) and Sempra (SRE). 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 Sempra (SRE)
Metric	AWK	SRE
Total Return (1Y)	17.61%	-13.10%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	9.05%	7.68%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-0.39%	8.14%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AWK

SRE

GSPC

American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sempra (SRE), 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 Sempra (SRE). 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 Sempra (SRE)
Metric	AWK	SRE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	22.53%	21.00%
Beta (5Y)	0.54	0.57
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-37.10%	-31.62%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.03M	3.90M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AWK and SRE 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 Sempra (SRE)
Metric	AWK	SRE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.59	-0.83
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.95	-1.07

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 9.95% and Sempra (SRE) at 8.73% 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%

SRE

Utilities industry group

8.73%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
Median: 9.44%
SRE: 8.73%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%

American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sempra (SRE): 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 Sempra (SRE) at 22.53% 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%

SRE

Utilities industry group

22.53%

Max: 28.78%
SRE: 22.53%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
Min: -0.20%

American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sempra (SRE): 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 Sempra (SRE) at 21.06%, 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%

SRE

Utilities industry group

21.06%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
SRE: 21.06%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and Sempra (SRE)
Metric	AWK	SRE
ROE (TTM)	9.95%	8.73%
ROA (TTM)	3.50%	1.99%
Net Margin (TTM)	21.26%	22.53%
Operating Margin (TTM)	43.18%	21.06%
Gross Margin (TTM)	61.86%	44.81%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 9.74% and Sempra (SRE) at 3.92% 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. Sempra (SRE): 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 Sempra (SRE) at -37.78% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and Sempra (SRE)
Metric	AWK	SRE
Revenue Growth (YoY)	9.74%	3.92%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.67%	-1.73%
EPS Growth (YoY)	5.57%	-37.78%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.06%	-5.99%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Sempra (SRE) at 1.61 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

SRE

Utilities industry group

1.61

Max: 1.90
SRE: 1.61
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
Min: 0.29

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 1.38 and Sempra (SRE) at 0.85 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

SRE

Utilities industry group

0.85

Max: 2.63
Q3: 1.77
Median: 1.35
SRE: 0.85
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sempra (SRE): 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 Sempra (SRE)
Metric	AWK	SRE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.39	1.61
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.38	0.85
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.49	6.18

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 2.26% and Sempra (SRE) at 3.27% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

AWK

Utilities industry group

2.26%

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

SRE

Utilities industry group

3.27%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
SRE: 3.27%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

American Water Works (AWK) vs. Sempra (SRE): 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 Sempra (SRE) at 56.05% 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%

SRE

Utilities industry group

56.05%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
SRE: 56.05%
Q1: 32.38%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and Sempra (SRE)
Metric	AWK	SRE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.26%	3.27%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	59.60%	56.05%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Sempra (SRE) at 16.74 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

SRE

Utilities industry group

16.74

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
Median: 19.64
SRE: 16.74
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both American Water Works (AWK) at 5.60 and Sempra (SRE) at 3.76 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

AWK

Utilities industry group

5.60

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

SRE

Utilities industry group

3.76

Max: 6.35
SRE: 3.76
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Sempra (SRE) at 1.53 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

SRE

Utilities industry group

1.53

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
SRE: 1.53
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and Sempra (SRE)
Metric	AWK	SRE
P/E Ratio (TTM)	26.00	16.74
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.60	3.76
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.51	1.53
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-5.45%	-22.35%