American Water Works Company Inc vs McKesson Corporation — how do they compare? American Water Works Company Inc trades at $136.06 (market cap $26.92B), while McKesson Corporation trades at $899.06 (market cap $102.58B). The key difference: McKesson Corporation is far larger — about 3.8× American Water Works Company Inc's market cap, and American Water Works Company Inc pays the higher dividend (2.64%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AWK | MCK | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $26.92B | $102.58B |
Sector | Utilities | Health |
52-Week High | $146.20 | $995.69 |
52-Week Low | $121.13 | $659.01 |
Enterprise Value | $42.78B | $109.12B |
Dividend Yield | 2.64% | 0.43% |
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.
McKesson (MCK) trades at $869.58, down 0.14% on the day, with a bullish technical signal supported by moving averages. The stock shows strong fundamentals with revenue growth to $359.05B in 2025 and consistent earnings beats, including Q2 2026 EPS of $9.93 versus $9.56 expected. Valuation metrics like P/E of 23.33 and P/S of 0.26 indicate reasonable pricing relative to peers. Recent news highlights Q1 2027 results exceeding expectations and raised full-year guidance, driven by specialty drug and oncology growth.
Outlook remains positive with 80% analyst buy ratings and a $1,000 consensus price target, suggesting 15% upside. Risks include thin net margins of 1.12% and high liabilities at $76.83B, which could pressure equity during economic downturns. Investors should focus on execution of raised guidance and margin improvements from cost efficiencies.
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 →McKesson is a leading wholesaler of branded, generic, and specialty pharmaceutical products to pharmacies (retail chains, independent, and mail order), hospitals networks, and healthcare providers. Along with AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health, the three account for well over 90% of the U.S. pharmaceutical wholesale industry. McKesson is currently divesting from its pharmaceutical wholesale and distribution in Europe and Canada in order to redeploy capital to strategic growth areas in the U.S. (oncology network and ecosystem, and biopharma services). Additionally, the company supplies medical-surgical products and equipment to healthcare facilities and provides a variety of technology solutions for pharmacies.
Read more on MCK →