American Water Works Company Inc vs Global Payments Inc — how do they compare? American Water Works Company Inc trades at $131.43 (market cap $25.69B), while Global Payments Inc trades at $79.18 (market cap $20.76B). The key difference: American Water Works Company Inc is the larger of the two by market cap, and American Water Works Company Inc pays the higher dividend (2.72%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AWK | GPN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $25.69B | $20.76B |
Sector | Utilities | Industrials |
52-Week High | $147.00 | $90.01 |
52-Week Low | $121.13 | $62.47 |
Enterprise Value | $41.25B | $38.48B |
Dividend Yield | 2.72% | 1.32% |
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.
GPN trades at $76.85, up 1.07% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and recent earnings beats. The company reported Q1 2026 EPS of $2.96, exceeding expectations, and maintains strong cash flow from operations at $2.66B in 2025. However, net income margin turned negative at -7.97% for 2026, reflecting profitability challenges amid rising debt levels, with debt-to-asset ratio increasing to 41.57% in 2025.
The outlook is mixed: analyst consensus is bullish with a $81.56 price target and 58% buy ratings, supported by AI-driven POS expansions and the Worldpay integration. Key risks include margin pressure from fintech competition and high leverage, which could constrain equity returns if revenue growth falters.
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 →Global Payments is a leading provider of payment processing and software solutions and focuses on serving small and midsize merchants. The company operates in 30 countries and generates about one fourth of its revenue from outside North America, primarily in Europe and Asia. In 2019, Global Payments merged with Total System Services in an all-stock deal that gave Total System Services shareholders 48% of the combined company's shares.
Read more on GPN →