American Electric Power Company, Inc. vs WILLIAMS COMPANIES, INC., two Utilities stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
The earnings multiple splits these two sharply: Williams changes hands at 34.2 times against American Electric Power's 20.53. Williams runs natural-gas pipelines, tolling volume for fees; AEP is a regulated electric utility earning an allowed return on its asset base and paying a steady dividend. Williams earns the stronger return on equity by a wide margin, 18.41 percent to 11.51, and books a far higher price to worth, 6.30 to 2.30. But Williams converted almost nothing to free cash last period, a 0.31 percent yield, while AEP managed 3.42. AEP carries less leverage, 1.58 debt to equity against Williams' 1.98, and pays slightly more, 2.7 percent versus 2.57.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | AEP | WMB |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $135.41 | $75.00 |
| Market cap | $74.1B | $92.0B |
| Sector | Utilities | Utilities |
| Stage | Mature | Growth |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +12.4% |
| P/E | 20.0 | 32.9 |
| P/B | 2.25 | 6.06 |
| P/S | 3.33 | 5.96 |
| EV/EBITDA | 23.4 | 18.0 |
| Revenue growth | +8.6% | +14.8% |
| Operating margin | 22.6% | 28.0% |
| Net margin | 17.1% | 18.1% |
| Return on equity | 11.5% | 18.4% |
| Return on assets | 3.2% | 4.7% |
| Return on invested capital | 5.0% | 7.7% |
| FCF yield | 3.5% | 0.3% |
| Dividend yield | 2.8% | 2.7% |
| Debt / equity | 1.58 | 1.98 |
| Current ratio | 0.53 | 0.83 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 0.88 | 6.04 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 8 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.