American Water Works Company Inc vs Valero Energy Corporation — how do they compare? American Water Works Company Inc trades at $131.69 (market cap $25.69B), while Valero Energy Corporation trades at $301.68 (market cap $83.35B). The key difference: Valero Energy Corporation is far larger — about 3.2× 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 | VLO | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $25.69B | $83.35B |
Sector | Utilities | Energy |
52-Week High | $147.00 | $301.43 |
52-Week Low | $121.13 | $131.77 |
Enterprise Value | $41.25B | $89.10B |
Dividend Yield | 2.72% | 1.71% |
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.
Valero Energy (VLO) trades at $295.79, up 5.38% in the last session, reflecting strong momentum amid bullish technical signals and positive earnings surprises. The stock's valuation metrics, including a P/E of 20.5 and P/S of 0.69, appear reasonable relative to historical levels, while profitability remains solid with a 17.72% ROE. Recent news highlights VLO's exposure to elevated refining margins and strong fuel demand, particularly benefiting its Gulf Coast operations.
The outlook for VLO is supported by robust refining fundamentals and a favorable analyst consensus, though risks include volatile energy markets and declining revenue trends. Upside potential exists if the company continues to exceed earnings expectations and capitalizes on tight product supplies, but investors should monitor margin pressures and macroeconomic headwinds.
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 →Valero Energy is one of the largest independent refiners in the United States. It operates 14 refineries with a total throughput capacity of 3.2 million barrels a day in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Valero also owns 14 ethanol plants with capacity of 1.7 billion gallons of ethanol a year and holds a 50% stake in Diamond Green Diesel, which has capacity to produce 700 million gallons per year of renewable diesel.
Read more on VLO →