American States Water Company vs Conagra Brands Inc — how do they compare? American States Water Company trades at $87.85 (market cap $3.47B), while Conagra Brands Inc trades at $14.93 (market cap $7.14B). The key difference: Conagra Brands Inc is far larger — about 2.1× American States Water Company's market cap, and Conagra Brands Inc pays the higher dividend (8.2%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AWR | CAG | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $3.47B | $7.14B |
Sector | Utilities | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $89.28 | $20.02 |
52-Week Low | $70.10 | $12.58 |
Enterprise Value | $4.37B | $14.20B |
Dividend Yield | 2.49% | 8.2% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
AWR trades at $87.95, up 1.59% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages. The company reported a Q2 2026 EPS beat of $1.09 versus $0.915 expected, driven by water rate increases and revenue growth. Recent news highlights its 71-year dividend growth streak and an 8.2% dividend hike announced in July 2026. Financials show solid profitability with a 20.52% net income margin and ROE of 13.62%, though valuation ratios like P/E of 23.92 are above sector averages.
Outlook is mixed: strong dividend history and earnings growth support income investors, but elevated valuation and mixed analyst consensus (20% buy, 50% hold, 30% sell) suggest limited near-term upside. Key risks include regulatory dependence on rate approvals and potential overvaluation relative to peers.
Conagra Brands (CAG) trades at $15.06, up 1.89% with mixed technical signals showing neutral overall momentum. The company faces fundamental challenges with negative net income margin (-16.99%) and ROE (-25.06%) despite recent earnings beats. Recent developments include a 50% dividend cut to $0.18, new executive appointments, and strategic shifts under CEO John Brase to address margin pressure and declining sales.
While CAG's low valuation (P/E 10.06, P/S 0.63) offers potential upside, persistent revenue declines and margin compression present significant headwinds. Analyst consensus remains cautious with 62.5% hold ratings, though the company's debt reduction efforts and operational simplification could support a turnaround if execution improves.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
American States Water provides water and electric services to over one million people in the U.S. It also manages water and wastewater systems for various military bases under long-term privatization contracts.
Read more on AWR →Conagra Brands is a packaged food company that operates predominantly in the United States (over 90% of revenue and profits). It has a significant presence in the freezer aisle, with brands such as Marie Callender's, Healthy Choice, Banquet, and Birds Eye. Other popular brands include Duncan Hines, Hunt's, Slim Jim, Vlasic, Orville Redenbacher's, Reddi-wip, Wish-Bone, and Chef Boyardee. While the majority of revenue is sold into the U.S. retail channel, 9% of fiscal 2022 sales were to the food-service channel, down from 11% in fiscal 2019 due to the pandemic.
Read more on CAG →