AWK vs. WMS

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about American Water Works Company, Inc. (AWK) and Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (WMS).

Performance

AWK vs. WMS - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in American Water Works Company, Inc. (AWK) and Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (WMS). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

AWK vs. WMS - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
AWK American Water Works Company, Inc.	4.99%	7.40%	-3.53%	-11.68%	-17.89%	24.83%	26.88%	37.79%	1.32%	29.01%
WMS Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc.	-5.22%	25.97%	-17.48%	72.44%	-39.53%	63.46%	116.70%	67.74%	2.78%	17.27%

Fundamentals

Market Cap AWK : $26.54B WMS : $10.74B
EPS AWK : $5.70 WMS : $6.02
PE Ratio AWK : 23.89 WMS : 22.80
PS Ratio AWK : 5.16 WMS : 3.59
PB Ratio AWK : 2.45 WMS : 137.28
Total Revenue (TTM) AWK : $5.14B WMS : $2.99B
Gross Profit (TTM) AWK : $3.12B WMS : $1.16B
EBITDA (TTM) AWK : $1.70B WMS : $741.90M

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, AWK achieves a 4.99% return, which is significantly higher than WMS's -5.22% return. Over the past 10 years, AWK has underperformed WMS with an annualized return of 9.05%, while WMS has yielded a comparatively higher 21.38% annualized return.

AWK

• 1D: -1.97%
• 1M: 0.04%
• YTD: 4.99%
• 6M: -0.93%
• 1Y: -5.43%
• 3Y*: -0.15%
• 5Y*: 0.00%
• 10Y*: 9.05%

WMS

• 1D: 4.31%
• 1M: -19.88%
• YTD: -5.22%
• 6M: -0.91%
• 1Y: 26.86%
• 3Y*: 18.21%
• 5Y*: 5.38%
• 10Y*: 21.38%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

AWK vs. WMS — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

AWK

AWK Risk / Return Rank: 31
AWK Sharpe Ratio Rank: 31
AWK Sortino Ratio Rank: 26
AWK Omega Ratio Rank: 27
AWK Calmar Ratio Rank: 34
AWK Martin Ratio Rank: 34

WMS

WMS Risk / Return Rank: 66
WMS Sharpe Ratio Rank: 65
WMS Sortino Ratio Rank: 65
WMS Omega Ratio Rank: 60
WMS Calmar Ratio Rank: 66
WMS Martin Ratio Rank: 72

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

AWK vs. WMS - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for American Water Works Company, Inc. (AWK) and Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (WMS). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	AWK	WMS	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.24	0.65	-0.89
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	-0.18	1.33	-1.51
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	0.98	1.15	-0.17
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.26	1.10	-1.36
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-0.50	3.69	-4.20
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

AWK vs. WMS - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current AWK Sharpe Ratio is -0.24, which is lower than the WMS Sharpe Ratio of 0.65. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of AWK and WMS, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	AWK	WMS	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.24	0.65	-0.89
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.00	0.13	-0.13
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.38	0.52	-0.13
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.60	0.52	+0.08

Correlation

The correlation between AWK and WMS is 0.17, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

AWK vs. WMS - Dividend Comparison

AWK's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.43%, more than WMS's 0.53% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
AWK American Water Works Company, Inc.	2.43%	2.49%	2.41%	2.10%	1.68%	1.25%	1.40%	1.59%	1.96%	1.77%	2.02%	2.23%
WMS Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc.	0.53%	0.48%	0.54%	0.38%	0.57%	0.31%	0.43%	3.48%	1.28%	1.13%	1.12%	0.79%

Drawdowns

AWK vs. WMS - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum AWK drawdown since its inception was -37.10%, smaller than the maximum WMS drawdown of -53.58%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for AWK and WMS.

Drawdown Indicators

	AWK	WMS	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-37.10%	-53.58%	+16.48%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-17.61%	-24.96%	+7.35%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-37.10%	-50.12%	+13.02%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-37.10%	-53.58%	+16.48%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-21.12%	-22.75%	+1.63%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-9.33%	-17.87%	+8.54%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	9.14%	7.41%	+1.73%

Volatility

AWK vs. WMS - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for American Water Works Company, Inc. (AWK) is 7.00%, while Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (WMS) has a volatility of 13.66%. This indicates that AWK experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than WMS based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	AWK	WMS	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.00%	13.66%	-6.66%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	16.48%	23.91%	-7.43%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	23.10%	41.31%	-18.21%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	22.77%	41.87%	-19.10%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	23.65%	41.47%	-17.82%

Financials

AWK vs. WMS - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between American Water Works Company, Inc. and Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

AWK - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, American Water Works Company, Inc. reported a gross profit of 723.00M and revenue of 1.27B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 56.9%.

WMS - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. reported a gross profit of 259.15M and revenue of 693.35M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 37.4%.

AWK - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, American Water Works Company, Inc. reported an operating income of 405.00M and revenue of 1.27B, resulting in an operating margin of 31.9%.

WMS - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. reported an operating income of 136.82M and revenue of 693.35M, resulting in an operating margin of 19.7%.

AWK - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, American Water Works Company, Inc. reported a net income of 238.00M and revenue of 1.27B, resulting in a net margin of 18.7%.

WMS - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. reported a net income of 93.63M and revenue of 693.35M, resulting in a net margin of 13.5%.