American Water Works Company Inc vs Lamb Weston Holdings Inc — how do they compare? American Water Works Company Inc trades at $135.31 (market cap $26.92B), while Lamb Weston Holdings Inc trades at $52.5 (market cap $7.12B). The key difference: American Water Works Company Inc is far larger — about 3.8× Lamb Weston Holdings Inc's market cap, and Lamb Weston Holdings Inc pays the higher dividend (2.93%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AWK | LW | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $26.92B | $7.12B |
Sector | Utilities | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $146.20 | $66.57 |
52-Week Low | $121.13 | $38.48 |
Enterprise Value | $42.78B | $11.00B |
Dividend Yield | 2.64% | 2.93% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
AWK trades at $135.31, up 0.36% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and neutral oscillators. The company reported Q2 2026 EPS of $1.61, beating estimates, while Q1 and Q4 2025 missed. Revenue grew to $5.14B in 2025 with a 21.35% net margin. Analyst consensus is mixed with 14 Buy, 14 Hold, and 2 Sell ratings, targeting $139.83. Recent news highlights operational excellence awards and customer base expansion through acquisitions.
Outlook remains stable with consistent dividend payments and guided EPS growth. Risks include rising debt levels and regulatory pressures. The stock offers steady income and moderate growth potential, but investors should monitor execution on earnings targets and capital expenditure efficiency.
Lamb Weston (LW) trades at $52.27, up 0.42% today, with a bullish technical outlook and consistent earnings beats. The stock shows strong profitability with a 16.28% ROE and trades at a P/E of 25.13. Recent Q2 2026 results exceeded expectations with EPS of $0.87 versus $0.626 estimated. The company maintains a solid dividend yield with a recent $0.38 per share payout announced.
The outlook is positive given operational improvements and cost savings, though international headwinds and margin pressures pose risks. Analyst consensus is a 'Hold' with a $53.86 price target, indicating modest upside. Investors should weigh strong North American growth against geopolitical and cost challenges impacting international segments.
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 →Lamb Weston is the world's second-largest producer of branded and private-label frozen potato products, such as French fries, sweet potato fries, tater tots, diced potatoes, mashed potatoes, hash browns, and chips. The company also has a small appetizer business that produces onion rings, mozzarella sticks, and cheese curds. Including joint ventures, 63% of fiscal 2022 revenue was U.S.-based, with the remainder stemming from Europe, Canada, Japan, China, Korea, Mexico, and several other countries. Lamb Weston's customer mix is estimated 58% quick-serve restaurants, 19% full-service restaurants, 8% other food services (hotels, commercial cafeterias, arenas, schools), and 16% retail. Lamb Weston became an independent company in 2016 when it was spun off from Conagra.
Read more on LW →