COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
AEP vs AWR
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. AEP scored 63.3, AWR scored 56.7 — AEP leads.
Compare another set
AEP
American Electric Power Company, Inc.
63.3
$120.94 · $65.8B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
6.6
AEP leads
AWR
American States Water Company
56.7
$88.63 · $3.5B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- Fastest growthAWR+13.2%
- Strongest balance sheetAWR0.82
- Highest qualityAWR64 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
AEP
stronger →← stronger
AWR
48
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
64
84
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
61
64
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
47
AEP is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
AEP
AWR
-$2.4bF
FCF
$21mC-
+10.9%B
Rev
+13.2%B+
1.61C+
D/E
0.82A-
2.9xB
P/S
—
2.15C
PEG
2.98C
—
P/E
24.2xC
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
AEP
AWR
—
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
648% above
—
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~55%/yr
—
1-yr DCF upside
-87%
—
5-yr DCF upside
-87%
—
10-yr DCF upside
-87%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
AEP
Why this score
- Short track record
AWR
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
- Diluting shareholders
The companies
AEPAmerican Electric Power Company, Inc.
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Electric · market cap $65.8b. 14% off the 52-week high of $140.58. Revenue growing +11%, comfortably above the S&P median. 20 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $144.20 (implying +19% upside).
Moat
Net margin 14% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 10% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. $65.8b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$2.4b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk.
AWRAmerican States Water Company
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Water · market cap $3.5b. Trading near 52-week high of $90.42 — momentum setup, limited technical margin of safety. Revenue growing +13%, comfortably above the S&P median.
Moat
Net margin 21% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close. ROE 13% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere.
Risk
Trading within 2% of the 52-week high — limited technical margin of safety; a momentum reversal would test conviction.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where AEP and AWR diverge
On the headline score the gap is 6.6 points in favor of AEP. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- GrowthAEP 83.9 · AWR 60.5AEP +23.4
- ValueAEP 63.7 · AWR 47.1AEP +16.6
- QualityAEP 47.6 · AWR 64.0AWR +16.4
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.