American Water Works Company, I 🇺🇸
AWK • Technology • USA
⚡ 85.8/100
Wide Moat Score™
$138.3
+0.0% (24H)
Fundamental Snapshot • Market Cap: $27.5B
PEG Ratio
3.66x
EXPANDED
Forward P/E
22.7x
GROWTH FAIR
Revenue Growth YoY
+6.2%
MODERATE
Gross Margin
61.5%
HIGH PRICING POWER
Free Cash Flow
-$1.8B
CASH FORTRESS
Debt / EBITDA
5.5x
LEVERAGED
📊 Proprietary 12-Point Fundamental Audit
| Audit Dimension | Benchmark Criterion | AWK Actual | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Economic Moat Strength | Software lock-in / high switching barrier / patent moat | Moat Score 85.8/100 | ✅ WIDE MOAT |
| 2. Pricing Power & Margins | Gross Margin > 40% sustainable | 61.5% Gross Margin | ✅ PASSED |
| 3. Revenue Acceleration | YoY Top-Line Growth > 15% | +6.2% YoY | ⚠️ IN-LINE |
| 4. Peter Lynch PEG Ratio | PEG < 1.2x (Growth at a Reasonable Price) | 3.66x PEG Ratio | ⚠️ ELEVATED |
| 5. Fortress Balance Sheet | Debt / EBITDA < 2.5x | 5.5x Net Leverage | ⚠️ WATCH |
| 6. Free Cash Flow Generation | Positive and compounding FCF | -$1.8B Free Cash Flow | ✅ PASSED |
| 7. Multiple vs Sector Median | Forward P/E reasonable vs earnings growth | Forward P/E: 22.7x | ✅ ATTRACTIVE MULTIPLE |
| 8. Management & Insider Ownership | Insider Ownership > 3% | 0.1% Insider Equity | ℹ️ INSTITUTIONAL |
| 9. Superinvestor Whale Backing | Held by Top 25 13F Wall St Whales | Institutional Superinvestor Interest | ℹ️ SCREENED |
| 10. Secular Industry Tailwinds | Exposure to multi-year compound themes | Technology sector expansion | ✅ PASSED |
| 11. Trailing P/E Multiple | Historical earnings multiple sanity | Trailing P/E: 24.0x | ✅ PASSED |
| 12. Overall Moat Conviction | Composite algorithmic evaluation | Overall Score: 85.8/100 | ✅ HIGH CONVICTION |
📝 MoatPicks Investment Thesis
Competitive Moat Breakdown: Largest publicly traded US water and wastewater utility.
Valuation Verdict: Trading at a Forward P/E of 22.7x and PEG ratio of 3.66x, American Water Works Company, I satisfies core fundamental screens for quality and durability.