American Water Works Company Inc vs Linde PLC — how do they compare? American Water Works Company Inc trades at $131.69 (market cap $25.69B), while Linde PLC trades at $521.43 (market cap $241.59B). The key difference: Linde PLC is far larger — about 9.4× American Water Works Company Inc's market cap, and American Water Works Company Inc pays the higher dividend (2.72%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AWK | LIN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $25.69B | $241.59B |
Sector | Utilities | Basic Materials |
52-Week High | $147.00 | $546.64 |
52-Week Low | $121.13 | $389.38 |
Enterprise Value | $41.25B | $263.95B |
Dividend Yield | 2.72% | 1.22% |
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.
Linde (LIN) trades at $522.54, down 1.37% on the day, with a bullish technical outlook supported by moving averages and a consensus analyst price target of $560. The company reported strong Q1 2026 EPS of $4.33, beating estimates, and maintains robust profitability with a net income margin of 20.44%. Recent news highlights sustainability leadership and strategic growth, though valuation ratios like a P/E of 34.75 suggest premium pricing.
The stock offers steady growth potential driven by earnings beats and dividend consistency, but faces risks from rising debt levels and macroeconomic pressures. Analyst sentiment is overwhelmingly bullish with 85.7% buy ratings, indicating confidence in Linde's operational strength and future performance, though investors should monitor debt trends and competitive dynamics.
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 →Linde is the largest industrial gas supplier in the world, with operations in over 100 countries. The firm's main products are atmospheric gases (including oxygen, nitrogen, and argon) and process gases (including hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and helium), as well as equipment used in industrial gas production. Linde serves a wide variety of end markets, including chemicals, manufacturing, healthcare, and steelmaking. Linde generated approximately $31 billion in revenue and $5 billion in GAAP operating profit in 2021.
Read more on LIN →