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American States Water CoAWR +1.54%79 Debt-to-EBITDA is 3.58 as of Mar. 2026, which is 7% above its 10-year median of 3.36. GuruFocus rates AWR with a GF Score™ of 79/100 and a GF Value™ of $85.61 (Fairly Valued). The stock has 5 warning signs investors should review. Among 449 Utilities - Regulated companies, American States Water Co ranks better than 57.24% on this metric.
Debt-to-EBITDA measures a company's ability to pay off its debt.
A high Debt-to-EBITDA ratio generally means that a company may spend more time to paying off its debt. According to Joel Tillinghast's BIG MONEY THINKS SMALL: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing, a ratio of Debt-to-EBITDA exceeding four is usually considered scary unless tangible assets cover the debt.
The historical rank and industry rank for American States Water Co's Debt-to-EBITDA or its related term are showing as below:
AWR'
s Debt-to-EBITDA Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 2.24 Med: 3.36 Max: 4.3
Current: 3.43
During the past 13 years, the highest Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio of American States Water Co was 4.30. The lowest was 2.24. And the median was 3.36.
AWR's Debt-to-EBITDA is ranked better than 57.24% of 449
companies
in the Utilities - Regulated industry
Industry Median: 4.01
vs AWR: 3.43
American States Water Co (NYSE:AWR) Debt-to-EBITDA Explanation
A high Debt-to-EBITDA ratio generally means that a company may spend more time to paying off its debt.
According to Joel Tillinghast's BIG MONEY THINKS SMALL: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing, a ratio of Debt-to-EBITDA exceeding four is usually considered scary unless tangible assets cover the debt.
American States Water Co Debt-to-EBITDA Related Terms
American States Water Co Debt-to-EBITDA Historical Data
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Utilities - Regulated Water subindustry, American States Water Co's Debt-to-EBITDA, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-EBITDA data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
American States Water Co Debt-to-EBITDA vs Utilities - Regulated Industry
For the Utilities - Regulated industry and Utilities sector, American States Water Co's Debt-to-EBITDA distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where American States Water Co's Debt-to-EBITDA falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
In the calculation of annual Debt-to-EBITDA, the EBITDA of the last fiscal year is used. In calculating the annualized quarterly data,
the EBITDA data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) EBITDA data.
American States Water Co (AWR) has a Debt-to-EBITDA of 3.58 as of Mar. 2026. Debt-to-EBITDA ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. View historical data on American States Water Co. This is near median its historical median of 3.36. Over the past decade, American States Water Co's Debt-to-EBITDA has ranged from 2.24 to 4.30. According to the industry distribution chart, American States Water Co ranks #192 out of 449 companies in the Utilities - Regulated industry, placing it in the top 42.8%.
Is American States Water Co's Debt-to-EBITDA too high?
American States Water Co's current Debt-to-EBITDA of 3.58 is near median its 10-year median of 3.36. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 2.24 to a high of 4.30. The Utilities - Regulated industry median Debt-to-EBITDA is 4.01. American States Water Co's value of 3.58 is 10.7% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, American States Water Co ranks #192 out of 449 companies in the Utilities - Regulated industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, American States Water Co has a GF Score™ of 79/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does American States Water Co's Debt-to-EBITDA compare to CWT and HTO?
According to the Utilities - Regulated industry distribution chart, American States Water Co ranks #192 out of 449 companies for Debt-to-EBITDA. This puts American States Water Co in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-EBITDA is 4.01. American States Water Co's value of 3.58 is 10.7% below this benchmark. Historically, American States Water Co's own Debt-to-EBITDA has ranged from 2.24 to 4.30 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 3.36 vs. the industry median of 4.01, American States Water Co has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Debt-to-EBITDA for an Utilities - Regulated company?
The median Debt-to-EBITDA among Utilities - Regulated companies is 4.01, based on 449 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-EBITDA significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-EBITDA should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. American States Water Co's current Debt-to-EBITDA of 3.58 is 10.7% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Debt-to-EBITDA mean?
A high Debt-to-EBITDA can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-EBITDA ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. View historical data on American States Water Co. For the Utilities - Regulated industry, the median Debt-to-EBITDA is 4.01 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. American States Water Co's current Debt-to-EBITDA is 3.58, which is near median its own 10-year median of 3.36. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is American States Water Co stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, American States Water Co (AWR) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is $85.61, compared to a current price of $89.28 — trading 4.3% above its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-EBITDA is 3.58, which is near median its 10-year median of 3.36 and 10.7% below the Utilities - Regulated industry median of 4.01. American States Water Co's overall GF Score™ is 79/100 with 5 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Debt-to-EBITDA calculated?
Debt-to-EBITDA is calculated from a company's financial statements. For American States Water Co (AWR), the current Debt-to-EBITDA is 3.58 as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is American States Water Co (AWR) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, American States Water Co stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $89.28 is trading 4.3% above its estimated GF Value™ of $85.61.
GuruFocus considers American States Water Co to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for AWR:
Debt-to-EBITDA: 3.58 (near median its 10-year median of 3.36)
GF Value™: $85.61 vs. price of $89.28 (4.3% above fair value)
Industry Position: 10.7% below the Utilities - Regulated median (#192 of 449)
No single metric tells the full story. See the AWR stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
American States Water Co is a water and utilities holding company based in California. The segments of the firm include water, electric, and contracted services. Within these segments, American States Water conducts water and electric operations through Golden State Water Company and Bear Valley Electric Service, Inc while contracted services through American States Utility Services and its subsidiaries. Golden State Water conducts its operations across various counties in California and is regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. American States Utility Services has contracted with the U.S. government to provide water services to various military installations. The majority of the company's revenue is derived from water services to commercial and residential customers.
79GF Score
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