American Water Works Company Inc vs Burlington Stores Inc — how do they compare? American Water Works Company Inc trades at $130.52 (market cap $25.69B), while Burlington Stores Inc trades at $345.84 (market cap $21.04B). The key difference: American Water Works Company Inc is the larger of the two by market cap, and American Water Works Company Inc pays a 2.72% dividend while Burlington Stores Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AWK | BURL | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $25.69B | $21.04B |
Sector | Utilities | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $147.00 | $347.82 |
52-Week Low | $121.13 | $242.43 |
Enterprise Value | $41.25B | $26.17B |
Dividend Yield | 2.72% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
American Water Works (AWK) trades at $131.53, up 0.64% with a bullish technical signal and strong fundamentals. The stock shows consistent revenue growth from $3.8B in 2022 to $5.14B in 2025, maintaining net margins above 21%. Recent earnings show mixed results with a Q3 2025 beat but Q1 2026 miss, while the company continues infrastructure investments and community initiatives.
AWK presents a stable utility investment with moderate upside to the $137 consensus target. Key risks include regulatory approvals for rate increases and high capital expenditures. Analyst sentiment is balanced with 47% buy ratings, though recent earnings misses warrant caution ahead of Q2 2026 results on July 29, 2026.
Burlington Stores (BURL) trades at $327.59, showing minimal daily movement with a slight 0.04% decline. The stock maintains strong bullish technical signals with moving averages supporting upward momentum, though RSI levels suggest potential overbought conditions. Fundamentally, the company demonstrates robust performance with consistent earnings beats, including Q1 2026 EPS of $2.01 exceeding expectations of $1.80. Revenue growth continues with 2025 reaching $10.63 billion and projected increase to $11.9 billion in 2026.
Outlook remains positive with 94% analyst buy ratings and $364.40 consensus price target representing 11% upside. Key opportunities include margin expansion and store productivity improvements, while risks involve competitive retail pressures and inventory management challenges. The company's strong cash flow generation and debt-to-asset ratio of 19.5% provide financial stability for continued growth initiatives.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →Burlington is a leading off-price retailer in the US, offering branded apparel, footwear, and home goods at significant discounts. It operates hundreds of stores focused on delivering high-quality products at great value.
Read more on BURL →