American Water Works Company Inc vs Paycom Software Inc — how do they compare? American Water Works Company Inc trades at $130.86 (market cap $25.69B), while Paycom Software Inc trades at $147.08 (market cap $6.70B). The key difference: American Water Works Company Inc is far larger — about 3.8× Paycom Software 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 | PAYC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $25.69B | $6.70B |
Sector | Utilities | Technology |
52-Week High | $147.00 | $238.80 |
52-Week Low | $121.13 | $113.59 |
Enterprise Value | $41.25B | $7.31B |
Dividend Yield | 2.72% | 1.04% |
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.
Paycom Software (PAYC) trades at $146.50, up 5.34% on the day, with strong technical momentum and bullish moving average signals. The company demonstrates robust fundamentals with 22.44% net income margin and 37.15% ROE, though Q2 2026 earnings are pending. Recent news highlights product innovation with the launch of Asset Management tool and board appointments, supporting growth prospects in the HCM software sector.
Outlook remains positive with analyst consensus price target of $151 suggesting modest upside, balanced by high valuation multiples and competitive pressures. Key risks include execution challenges in maintaining growth momentum and sensitivity to economic cycles affecting HR software demand.
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 →Paycom is a fast-growing provider of payroll and human capital management, or HCM, software primarily targeting clients with 50-10,000 employees in the United States. Paycom was established in 1998 and services about 18,000 clients as of 2021, based on parent company grouping. Alongside its core payroll software, Paycom offers various HCM add-on modules, including time and attendance, talent management, and benefits administration.
Read more on PAYC →