American Water Works Company Inc vs UnitedHealth Group Inc — how do they compare? American Water Works Company Inc trades at $131.69 (market cap $25.69B), while UnitedHealth Group Inc trades at $414.74 (market cap $389.68B). The key difference: UnitedHealth Group Inc is far larger — about 15.2× 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 | UNH | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $25.69B | $389.68B |
Sector | Utilities | Health |
52-Week High | $147.00 | $431.68 |
52-Week Low | $121.13 | $237.77 |
Enterprise Value | $41.25B | $436.36B |
Dividend Yield | 2.72% | 2.16% |
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.
UnitedHealth Group (UNH) trades at $429.09, up 1.05% on the day, with a bullish technical outlook and strong analyst consensus. The stock shows consistent earnings beats, with Q1 2026 EPS of $7.23 exceeding expectations, and a dividend of $2.32 payable in June 2026. Revenue growth remains robust, reaching $447.57B in 2025, though net margins have compressed to 2.68%.
Outlook is positive due to aging demographics and tech innovation in healthcare, but risks include regulatory scrutiny and margin pressure. Wall Street's average price target of $438.33 suggests modest upside, supported by 82.69% buy ratings. Investors should weigh solid cash flow generation against legal challenges and rising debt levels.
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 →UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest private health insurers, providing medical benefits to 50 million members globally, including 5 million outside the U.S. at the end of 2021. As a leader in employer-sponsored, self-directed, and government-backed insurance plans, UnitedHealth has obtained massive scale in managed care. Along with its insurance assets, UnitedHealth's continued investments in its Optum franchises have created a healthcare services colossus that spans everything from medical and pharmaceutical benefits to providing outpatient care and analytics to both affiliated and third-party customers.
Read more on UNH →