American States Water Company vs Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF — how do they compare? American States Water Company trades at $87.85 (market cap $3.47B), while Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF trades at $246.29. The key difference: American States Water Company pays a 2.49% dividend while Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AWR | VIG | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $3.47B | — |
Sector | Utilities | — |
52-Week High | $89.28 | $246.19 |
52-Week Low | $70.10 | $209.02 |
Enterprise Value | $4.37B | — |
Dividend Yield | 2.49% | — |
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.
VIG trades at $246.19, up 0.16% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages but overbought RSI readings. The ETF focuses on dividend growth stocks, with a 1.5% yield and a 20-year streak of dividend increases. Recent news highlights its role in retirement income strategies and comparisons with peers like SCHD.
The outlook remains positive for long-term investors seeking dividend growth and lower risk, though high RSI suggests near-term consolidation. Risks include market volatility and interest rate sensitivity, but institutional interest and a quality stock selection process support its defensive appeal.
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 →The advisor employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the index, which consists of common stocks of companies that have a record of increasing dividends over time. The advisor attempts to replicate the target index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the index, holding each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the index.
Read more on VIG →