Applied Materials, Inc. vs American Water Works Company Inc — how do they compare? Applied Materials, Inc. trades at $573.2 (market cap $478.36B), while American Water Works Company Inc trades at $130.3 (market cap $25.52B). The key difference: Applied Materials, Inc. is far larger — about 18.7× American Water Works Company Inc's market cap, and American Water Works Company Inc pays the higher dividend (2.74%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AMAT | AWK | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $478.36B | $25.52B |
Sector | Technology | Utilities |
52-Week High | $723.00 | $147.00 |
52-Week Low | $156.25 | $121.13 |
Enterprise Value | $477.39B | $41.08B |
Dividend Yield | 0.35% | 2.74% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Applied Materials (AMAT) trades at $602.50, up 2.35% recently, with strong technical support near $573 and resistance at $617. The company demonstrates robust fundamentals, including a 29.31% net income margin and consistent earnings beats, while benefiting from AI-driven semiconductor demand highlighted in recent CEO commentary (CNBC, 2026-05-28).
Outlook remains positive given analyst consensus of $644.33 price target and 76.9% buy ratings, though elevated P/E of 56.68 poses valuation risk. Key opportunities include AI infrastructure growth, while risks involve cyclical semiconductor demand and execution challenges in scaling operations.
American Water Works (AWK) trades at $130.69, up 0.11% with a neutral technical outlook. The stock shows strong fundamentals with consistent revenue growth from $3.8B in 2022 to $5.1B in 2025, maintaining profit margins above 21%. Recent developments include infrastructure investments and regulatory approvals, while analyst consensus leans slightly bullish with a $137 price target.
AWK presents a stable investment opportunity with predictable utility earnings and dividend income. Key risks include regulatory rate approvals and capital expenditure requirements. The stock offers moderate upside potential with balanced analyst sentiment supporting long-term growth in essential water services.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Applied Materials is the world's largest supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, providing materials engineering solutions to help make nearly every chip in the world. The firm's systems are used in nearly every major process step with the exception of lithography. Key tools include those for chemical and physical vapor deposition, etching, chemical mechanical polishing, wafer- and reticle-inspection, critical dimension measurement, and defect-inspection scanning electron microscopes.
Read more on AMAT →American Water Works is the largest investor-owned U.S. water and wastewater utility, serving approximately 3.5 million customers in 16 states. It provides water and wastewater services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers and operates predominantly in regulated markets. The company's only nonregulated business is water services for military bases, which operates under long-term contracts.
Read more on AWK →