American Water Works Company Inc vs Public Storage — how do they compare? American Water Works Company Inc trades at $131.69 (market cap $25.69B), while Public Storage trades at $318.01 (market cap $56.00B). The key difference: Public Storage is far larger — about 2.2× American Water Works Company Inc's market cap, and Public Storage pays the higher dividend (3.76%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AWK | PSA | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $25.69B | $56.00B |
Sector | Utilities | Real Estate |
52-Week High | $147.00 | $329.64 |
52-Week Low | $121.13 | $258.44 |
Enterprise Value | $41.25B | $70.25B |
Dividend Yield | 2.72% | 3.76% |
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.
Public Storage (PSA) trades at $321.86, up 0.41% on the day, with a neutral technical signal and strong profitability metrics including a 39.16% net income margin and 33.78% ROE. Recent earnings beats and the pending acquisition of National Storage Affiliates highlight strategic growth initiatives, supported by a $3.00 dividend and robust cash flow from operations of $3.19B in 2025.
The outlook is positive with a consensus price target of $332.25, though elevated valuation ratios (P/E 33.25) and integration risks from acquisitions pose challenges. Earnings growth and market expansion into Canada are key catalysts, while interest rate sensitivity and competitive pressures remain watchpoints for investors.
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 →Public Storage is the largest owner of self-storage facilities in the U.S. with more than 2,800 self-storage facilities in 39 states and approximately 200 million square feet of rentable space. Through equity interests, it also has exposure to the European self-storage market through Shurgard Self Storage and to an additional 28 million net rentable square feet of industrial space in the United States through PS Business Parks.
Read more on PSA →