American States Water Company vs Prospect Capital Corporation — how do they compare? American States Water Company trades at $84.54 (market cap $3.33B), while Prospect Capital Corporation trades at $2.28 (market cap $1.14B). The key difference: American States Water Company is far larger — about 2.9× Prospect Capital Corporation's market cap, and Prospect Capital Corporation pays the higher dividend (22.03%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AWR | PSEC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $3.33B | $1.14B |
Sector | Utilities | Financials |
52-Week High | $85.05 | $3.47 |
52-Week Low | $70.10 | $2.15 |
Enterprise Value | $4.24B | — |
Dividend Yield | 2.37% | 22.03% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
American States Water (AWR) trades at $85.05, up 0.64% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and strong profitability metrics including a 19.66% net income margin. Recent news highlights its inclusion in TIME's America's Best Companies 2026 list and a completed $200 million ATM equity offering. The stock shows consistent dividend performance with a 71-year growth streak, though recent quarters saw mixed earnings results versus expectations.
Outlook remains stable with revenue growth to $679 million in 2026 and solid cash flow, but risks include regulatory pressures and interest rate sensitivity. Analysts are cautious with only 20% buy ratings. The stock offers defensive appeal but faces execution risks in a high-valuation environment.
PSEC trades at $2.25, down 0.44% recently, with a bearish technical signal and neutral oscillators. The company shows mixed fundamentals with a low P/B of 0.39 and consistent earnings beats in recent quarters, but negative revenue of -$407M and net income margin of -495.94% for 2025 highlight financial stress. Recent news includes a new investment in ShipOffers and ongoing dividend payments, though sentiment is cautious amid a deep discount to NAV.
The outlook remains challenging due to persistent negative revenue and high yield risks, but the valuation discount and earnings beats offer potential for value investors. Key risks include further NAV erosion and dividend sustainability, while institutional sentiment is divided with 25% buy ratings against 55% hold.
Trailing returns across standard periods
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 →Prospect Capital Corp is a closed-end investment company based in the United States. Its investment objective is to generate both current income and long-term capital appreciation through debt and equity investments. The company invests primarily in senior and subordinated debt and equity of private companies for acquisitions, divestitures, growth, development, recapitalizations, and other purposes. It makes investments, including lending in private equity, sponsored transactions, directly to companies, investments in structured credit, real estate, and syndicated debt.
Read more on PSEC →