AWK vs MSEX: Correlation
Measured on weekly returns over the past three years, American Water Works (AWK) and Middlesex Water Company (MSEX) carry a correlation of 0.69, a strong link.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are AWK and MSEX?
Across a 3-year window, the weekly returns of AWK and MSEX correlate at 0.69, strong. The relationship has been stable: the 1-year correlation (0.62) sits close to the 3-year figure. Stretching to 5 years gives 0.68, with an annualized covariance of 450.0 %².
Among the 49 assets we track against AWK, MSEX ranks #5 by 3-year correlation. On 12-month performance MSEX holds a 13.1-point edge, -3.0% against +10.1%. Risk is not evenly split, since MSEX carries 1.5 times the volatility of the other side.
How is this computed?
Pearson correlation on weekly returns: ρ(A,B) = cov(rA, rB) / (σA · σB), over windows of 52, 156 and 260 weeks. Covariance is annualized (×52) and expressed in %². Full definitions on the methodology page.
AWK vs MSEX: side by side
| AWK (American Water Works) | MSEX (Middlesex Water Company) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | -3.0% | +10.1% |
| 5-year return | -16.6% | -41.5% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 20.7% | 31.5% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | -0.11 | 0.04 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -18.8% | -40.2% |
| Market cap | $27.2B | $1.1B |
| P/E (trailing) | 23.7 | 22.6 |
| Dividend yield | 2.46% | 2.43% |
| Sector / category | Utilities | US Listed |
Year-by-year returns
| Year | AWK | MSEX |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -17.9% | -33.8% |
| 2023 | -11.7% | -15.2% |
| 2024 | -3.5% | -18.0% |
| 2025 | +7.4% | -1.7% |
| 2026 | +6.9% | +17.0% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are AWK and MSEX good diversifiers for each other?
Only partially. A correlation of 0.69 means AWK and MSEX share most of their swings. Pairing them dampens volatility somewhat, but it will not protect against a common drawdown.
FAQ
What is the correlation between AWK and MSEX?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: 0.69 over 3 years, with 0.62 over the last year and 0.68 over 5 years.
Is MSEX a good diversifier for AWK?
Only partially. A correlation of 0.69 means AWK and MSEX share most of their swings. Pairing them dampens volatility somewhat, but it will not protect against a common drawdown.
What does a correlation of 0.69 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.69 describes how much the two returns move together: +1 is lockstep, 0 is independence, negative values mean opposite directions. It says nothing about which performed better.
Use this data
$ curl https://www.pairbook.io/api/v1/pairs/awk-vs-msex.json
Markdown for the live badge, attribution link included:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/awk-vs-msex/)
Free with attribution; caching and terms are described in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: AWK correlations · MSEX correlations