American Water Works Company Inc vs Yum! Brands, Inc. — how do they compare? American Water Works Company Inc trades at $135.3 (market cap $26.92B), while Yum! Brands, Inc. trades at $144.74 (market cap $39.66B). The key difference: Yum! Brands, Inc. is the larger of the two by market cap, and American Water Works Company Inc pays the higher dividend (2.64%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AWK | YUM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $26.92B | $39.66B |
Sector | Utilities | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $146.20 | $168.16 |
52-Week Low | $121.13 | $138.21 |
Enterprise Value | $42.78B | $51.26B |
Dividend Yield | 2.64% | 2.06% |
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.
YUM trades at $150.76, down 0.95% on the day, amid a bearish technical signal and recent sales headwinds from a parasite outbreak affecting Taco Bell. The company reported Q2 2026 EPS of $1.62, beating estimates, and completed the $1.2 billion sale of Pizza Hut China. Revenue growth is steady, with 2025 revenue at $8.21 billion and net income margin of 25.4%, though debt remains elevated. Analyst consensus is a Buy with a $174.60 price target, but legal investigations and food safety concerns present near-term risks.
The outlook is mixed: strong digital growth and portfolio streamlining offer upside, but the stock faces pressure from the cyclospora outbreak's impact on sales and ongoing fraud probes. Investors should weigh solid fundamentals against sentiment-driven volatility and high leverage.
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 →Yum Brands is a U.S.-based restaurant operator featuring a portfolio of four brands: KFC (26,930 global units), Pizza Hut (18,380 units), Taco Bell (7,790 units), and The Habit Burger (310 units) at year-end 2021. With $58 billion in 2021 systemwide sales, the firm is the second-largest restaurant company in the world, behind McDonald's ($112.5 billion) but ahead of Restaurant Brands International ($36 billion) and Starbucks ($25 billion). Yum is 98% franchised, with the largest franchisee, Yum China, created via a 2016 spinoff transaction (after which Yum China agreed to pay 3% royalties to Yum Brands in perpetuity). Yum is the newest evolution of Tricon Brands, formerly a division of PepsiCo, and generates the bulk of its revenue from franchise royalties and marketing contributions.
Read more on YUM →