AWK vs YORW Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
American Water Works and York Water both operate regulated water utility businesses, but American Water Works is the largest publicly traded water utility with a diversified, multi-state footprint and active acquisition strategy, while York Water is a small, single-state Pennsylvania utility with an exceptionally long operating history.
AWK offers scale, diversification, and acquisition-driven growth, while YORW offers the simplicity and consistency of a small, long-tenured single-state water utility. The decision depends on whether you prefer diversified scale or a smaller, more concentrated regulated business.
AWK holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. YORW has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+13.99% vs 0.00%), though AWK has the better forward P/E setup (21.06x vs 22.27x for YORW). YORW leads on both revenue growth (22.50%) and operating margin (42.26%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for AWK (+1.49%) than for YORW (-9.04%).
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Want exposure to the largest publicly traded regulated water utility in the country
- Value geographic diversification across multiple state regulatory jurisdictions
- Believe consolidation of smaller water systems provides a durable growth avenue
- Prefer scale advantages in accessing capital for infrastructure reinvestment
- Prefer a smaller, single-state regulated water utility with an exceptionally long operating history
- Value a long track record of consistent annual dividend increases
- Want a simpler, more concentrated regulated business to evaluate
- Are comfortable with less geographic diversification in exchange for operational simplicity
| Metric | AWK | YORW |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 38.9 | 32.4 |
| AI ranki | #1274 | #2094 |
| Latest closei | $140.70 | $34.05 |
| 1M returni | +4.87% | +10.48% |
| 6M returni | +4.51% | +5.23% |
| 1Y returni | 0.00% | +13.99% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | AWK | YORW |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $9.94K (-0.6%) started 2025-09-04 | $11.73K (+17.3%) started 2025-09-04 |
| 5Y ago | $8.92K (-10.8%) started 2021-09-07 | $8.16K (-18.4%) started 2021-09-07 |
| 10Y ago | $26.2K (+162.0%) started 2016-09-06 | $17.82K (+78.2%) started 2016-09-06 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | AWK | YORW |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $27.48B | $553.07M |
| Trailing P/Ei | 23.97 | 21.17 |
| Forward P/Ei | 21.06 | 22.27 |
| Price/Salesi | N/A | N/A |
| EV/Revenuei | 8.20 | 8.91 |
| Analyst targeti | $140.36 | $31.00 |
| Target upsidei | +1.49% | -9.04% |
| Metric | AWK | YORW |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 6.20% | 22.50% |
| Earnings growthi | 8.60% | 37.00% |
| EPS growthi | +8.60% | +37.00% |
| FCF margini | -33.79% | -25.07% |
| Operating margini | 40.66% | 42.26% |
| Profit margini | 21.35% | 28.53% |
| ROIC proxyi | 10.10% | 9.00% |
| Return on equityi | 10.10% | 9.00% |
| Dividend yieldi | 2.59% | 2.67% |
| Betai | 0.58 | 0.60 |
| Debt/equityi | 137.75 | 64.57 |
| Current ratioi | 0.52 | 1.05 |
| Quick ratioi | 0.40 | 0.77 |
Over the past year, AWK and YORW have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.64), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | AWK | YORW |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | -0.61% | +13.99% |
| CAGRi | -0.62% | +14.00% | |
| Volatilityi | 22.34% | 19.99% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.12 | 0.53 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.17 | 0.75 | |
| Max drawdowni | 16.71% | 13.93% | |
| Current drawdowni | 3.25% | 1.53% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 8.64% | 5.21% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 9.43% | 6.77% | |
| Max daily dropi | 3.55% | 4.81% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 11.14% | 6.82% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | -17.56% | -27.61% |
| CAGRi | -3.79% | -6.27% | |
| Volatilityi | 23.08% | 22.89% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.25 | -0.37 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.35 | -0.50 | |
| Max drawdowni | 37.10% | 38.84% | |
| Current drawdowni | 19.97% | 27.65% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 22.15% | 24.30% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 23.16% | 25.84% | |
| Max daily dropi | 5.65% | 10.67% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 14.91% | 16.09% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +118.82% | +41.98% |
| CAGRi | +8.15% | +3.57% | |
| Volatilityi | 23.83% | 29.16% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.26 | 0.11 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.37 | 0.16 | |
| Max drawdowni | 37.10% | 39.62% | |
| Current drawdowni | 19.97% | 28.57% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 13.42% | 17.78% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 16.98% | 20.76% | |
| Max daily dropi | 12.53% | 11.90% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 24.95% | 22.67% |
| Category | AWK | YORW |
|---|---|---|
| Company | American Water Works Company, Inc. | The York Water Company |
| Sector | Utilities | Utilities |
| Industry | Utilities - Regulated Water | Utilities - Regulated Water |
| Core business | The largest publicly traded regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States, providing water and related services to customers across multiple states through both regulated and market-based operations. | A small regulated water utility company providing water and wastewater services to customers in south-central Pennsylvania, with one of the longest continuously operating histories among US water utilities. |
| Investor focus | Regulated rate base growth from infrastructure reinvestment, acquisition activity consolidating smaller water systems, and regulatory relationship quality across its multi-state operating footprint. | Regulated rate base growth within its Pennsylvania service territory, dividend growth consistency, and small acquisition activity expanding its local service footprint. |
- Scale as the largest publicly traded water utility provides diversification across multiple state regulatory jurisdictions
- Ongoing infrastructure reinvestment in aging water systems supports a long, visible runway for regulated rate base growth
- Active acquisition strategy consolidating smaller municipal and private water systems provides an additional growth avenue
- Exceptionally long operating history reflects a stable, well-understood regulated business model in a single service territory
- Long track record of consistent annual dividend increases reflects the steady, predictable nature of small regulated water utility earnings
- Smaller, more concentrated service territory allows for close regulatory relationships and simplified operational oversight
- Operating across multiple state regulatory jurisdictions requires managing varied rate case timelines and outcomes
- Water infrastructure investment needs remain substantial industry-wide, requiring sustained capital access at reasonable costs
- Acquisition integration carries execution risk as the company absorbs smaller, previously independently operated water systems
- Small scale and single-state concentration provide less geographic diversification than larger, multi-state water utility peers
- Limited size may constrain the pace of large-scale acquisition or infrastructure investment opportunities
- Trading at a premium valuation common among small, high-quality dividend utilities can leave less room for multiple expansion
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