AWK vs TROW Comparison

American Water Works is the largest investor-owned US water and wastewater utility, serving nearly 4 million customers in 14 states. It provides water and wastewater services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers and operates predominantly in regulated markets. The company's nonregulated business is water services for military bases, which operates under long-term contracts with regulated-like returns. The proposed Essential Utilities acquisition would add regulated water and wastewater utilities in Ohio, North Carolina, and Texas while increasing its presence in Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Virginia.

T. Rowe Price provides asset management services for individual and institutional investors. It offers a broad range of no-load US and international stock, hybrid, bond, and money market funds. At the end of August 2026, the firm had $1.897 trillion in managed assets, composed of equity (48%), balanced (37%), fixed-income and money market (12%), and alternative (3%) offerings. Close to two-thirds of managed assets are held in retirement-based accounts, which provide T. Rowe Price with a stickier client base than most of its peers. The firm also manages private accounts, provides retirement planning advice, and offers discount brokerage and trust services. The company is primarily a US-based asset manager, deriving less than 10% of its AUM from overseas.