AWK vs. VST: American Water Works vs. Vistra Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do American Water Works (AWK) and Vistra (VST) 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 Vistra (VST) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but AWK is classified in Water Utilities while VST is classified in Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers.

Company profile comparison for American Water Works (AWK) and Vistra (VST)
Profile Item	AWK	VST
Name	American Water Works Company, Inc.	Vistra Corp.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Water Utilities	Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers
GICS Sub-Industry	Water Utilities	Independent Power Producers & Energy Traders
Market Capitalization	29.92 billion USD	42.31 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	April 23, 2008	October 5, 2016
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AWK

VST

GSPC

American Water Works (AWK) vs. Vistra (VST), 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 Vistra (VST). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for American Water Works (AWK) and Vistra (VST). 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 Vistra (VST)
Metric	AWK	VST
Total Return (1Y)	17.61%	-30.09%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	9.05%	57.95%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-0.39%	49.55%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AWK

VST

GSPC

American Water Works (AWK) vs. Vistra (VST), 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 Vistra (VST). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Vistra (VST) has an aggressive beta of 1.38, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while American Water Works (AWK) is defensive at 0.54 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	AWK	VST
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	22.53%	53.39%
Beta (5Y)	0.54	1.38
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-37.10%	-48.80%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.03M	5.98M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AWK and VST 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 Vistra (VST)
Metric	AWK	VST
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.59	-0.64
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.95	-0.86

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: American Water Works (AWK) earns 9.95% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Vistra (VST) has no ROE this period.

AWK

Utilities industry group

9.95%

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

VST

Utilities industry group

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
Median: 9.44%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%
VST: --

American Water Works (AWK) vs. Vistra (VST): VST does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; AWK is benchmarked against the Utilities industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

American Water Works (AWK) at 21.26% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Vistra (VST) at 13.15%, 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%

VST

Utilities industry group

13.15%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
VST: 13.15%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
Min: -0.20%

American Water Works (AWK) vs. Vistra (VST): 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 Vistra (VST) at 31.12%, 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%

VST

Utilities industry group

31.12%

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

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	AWK	VST
ROE (TTM)	9.95%	--
ROA (TTM)	3.50%	--
Net Margin (TTM)	21.26%	13.15%
Operating Margin (TTM)	43.18%	31.12%
Gross Margin (TTM)	61.86%	41.52%

Growth

Revenue Growth

American Water Works (AWK) at 9.74% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Vistra (VST) at 2.98% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

American Water Works (AWK) vs. Vistra (VST): 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 Vistra (VST) at -69.98% falls below its industry range, a notably weak earnings reading.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	AWK	VST
Revenue Growth (YoY)	9.74%	2.98%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.67%	8.92%
EPS Growth (YoY)	5.57%	-69.98%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.06%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: American Water Works (AWK) shows current ratio of 0.39 against its industry benchmark, while Vistra (VST) has no reading this period.

AWK

Utilities industry group

0.39

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

VST

Utilities industry group

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
Min: 0.29
VST: --

American Water Works (AWK) vs. Vistra (VST): VST does not report current ratio, so it has no value marker; AWK is benchmarked against the Utilities industry group.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

American Water Works (AWK) at 1.38 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Vistra (VST) at 3.73 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

AWK

Utilities industry group

1.38

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

VST

Utilities industry group

3.73

VST: 3.73
Max: 2.63
Q3: 1.77
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

American Water Works (AWK) vs. Vistra (VST): 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 Vistra (VST)
Metric	AWK	VST
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.39	--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.38	3.73
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.49	--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

American Water Works (AWK) at 2.26% pays a yield in its industry’s typical range, while Vistra (VST) at 0.20% falls in the bottom quartile of its peers.

AWK

Utilities industry group

2.26%

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

VST

Utilities industry group

0.20%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
VST: 0.20%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

American Water Works (AWK) at 59.60% keeps its payout within the industry’s typical band; Vistra (VST) at 15.35% pays out less than peers usually do, retaining more of its earnings — a policy difference more than a quality gap.

AWK

Utilities industry group

59.60%

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

VST

Utilities industry group

15.35%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
VST: 15.35%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	AWK	VST
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.26%	0.20%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	59.60%	15.35%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Vistra (VST) at 16.80 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

VST

Utilities industry group

16.80

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
Median: 19.64
VST: 16.80
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Vistra (VST) at 2.05 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

VST

Utilities industry group

2.05

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
VST: 2.05
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: American Water Works (AWK) at 2.51 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Vistra (VST) at 16.10 prices even higher, above its industry range.

AWK

Utilities industry group

2.51

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

VST

Utilities industry group

16.10

VST: 16.10
Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for American Water Works (AWK) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	AWK	VST
P/E Ratio (TTM)	26.00	16.80
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.60	2.05
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.51	16.10
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-5.45%	--