Which has the lower trailing P/E, AWK or PPL?

PPL has the lower trailing P/E: AWK trades at 23.21 and PPL at 21.47. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, AWK or PPL?

Over the past five years, PPL grew revenue faster — AWK at a 6.32% CAGR versus PPL at 8.87%.

Does AWK or PPL pay a bigger dividend?

AWK yields 2.52% and PPL yields 3.17% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is AWK or PPL more profitable?

AWK runs the higher net margin — AWK at 21.35% versus PPL at 13.09%.

How have AWK and PPL total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, AWK delivered 7.05% and PPL delivered 3.77% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

American Water Works Company, Inc. (AWK) vs PPL Corporation (PPL)

A side-by-side comparison of American Water Works Company, Inc. and PPL Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of August 1, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

AWK

American Water Works Company, Inc.

$26.66B

$134.17UtilitiesAt close: Jul 31, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

PPL

PPL Corporation

$26.49B

$35.21UtilitiesAt close: Jul 31, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

Total return — AWK vs PPL

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 18y

AWK +913.9%PPL +79.6%AWK compounded faster

Log scale — wide-divergence pair

AWK PPL

AWK vs PPL: by the numbers

•AWK is the larger company ($26.66B vs $26.49B market cap).
•PPL trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (21.47 vs 23.21 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•AWK converts more revenue to profit (21.35% vs 13.09% net margin).
•PPL grew revenue faster over the past five years (8.87% vs 6.32% CAGR).
•PPL pays the higher dividend yield (3.17% vs 2.52%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	AWK	PPL
P/E ratio	23.21	21.47
Forward P/E	22.07	18.05
P/S ratio	4.98	2.86
P/B ratio	2.25	1.78
PEG ratio	3.98	0.98
EV / EBITDA	14.68	12.49

Profitability

Metric	AWK	PPL
Gross margin	44.38%	35.29%
Operating margin	36.94%	23.50%
Net margin	21.35%	13.09%
ROE	9.67%	8.12%
ROIC	4.21%	4.06%

Dividends

Metric	AWK	PPL
Dividend yield	2.52%	3.17%
Payout ratio	59.25%	70.13%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	AWK	PPL
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	6.32%	8.87%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	7.78%	-3.60%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	N/A	-4.92%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	-2.62%	8.20%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, AWK or PPL?: PPL has the lower trailing P/E: AWK trades at 23.21 and PPL at 21.47. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, AWK or PPL?: Over the past five years, PPL grew revenue faster — AWK at a 6.32% CAGR versus PPL at 8.87%.
Does AWK or PPL pay a bigger dividend?: AWK yields 2.52% and PPL yields 3.17% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is AWK or PPL more profitable?: AWK runs the higher net margin — AWK at 21.35% versus PPL at 13.09%.
How have AWK and PPL total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, AWK delivered 7.05% and PPL delivered 3.77% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full AWK analysis Full PPL analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

American Water Works P/E ratio PPL P/E ratio American Water Works dividend yield PPL dividend yield American Water Works ROE PPL ROE American Water Works operating margin PPL operating margin American Water Works revenue growth PPL revenue growth American Water Works free cash flow PPL free cash flow

American Water Works & PPL appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks Highest Operating Margin Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified August 1, 2026.