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StockVS

NYSE · Utilities - Regulated Water · USD

Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) Stock Analysis

Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) is a Utilities - Regulated Water stock listed on NYSE and quoted in US Dollar.

Last Updated: October 21, 2026

WTRG

$40.74

−$0.24 (−0.59%)

Oct 21, 2026 · Market close

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Price History

Hover for the daily close. The dotted line marks the period open.

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WTRG Key Statistics

As of Oct 21, 2026
Trading
Open
$40.86
Previous Close
$40.98
Day's Range
40.71–41.26
52-Week Range
36.11–42.51
Volume
1.74M
BetaHow much the share price moves relative to the wider market. 1.0 moves in line with it; above 1.0 swings more, below 1.0 less.
0.62
Valuation
Market Cap
$11.56B
P/E Ratio
20.79
Forward P/EShare price divided by forecast earnings for the year ahead, rather than the year just past.
17.12
PEG RatioThe P/E ratio divided by the expected earnings growth rate. It puts a high P/E in the context of how fast profits are growing.
3.66
P/S ratioMarket value divided by annual revenue. Useful for companies that are not yet profitable, where a P/E cannot be calculated.
4.50
EPS (ttm)Profit attributable to each share over the last twelve months.
1.96
Financials (FY)
Revenue (FY)
$2.47B+18.62%
Net Income (FY)
$616.37M+3.54%
Profit marginThe share of revenue left as profit after all costs and taxes.
21.60%
Shares OutstandingThe total number of shares held by all investors. Market value is this figure multiplied by the share price.
283.63M
1-Year Return
+0.41%
Dividend and dates
Dividend
$1.44+3.52%
Ex-Dividend Date
August 11, 2026
Earnings Date
November 3, 2026
Avg Volume
2.31M

Only metrics the company reports are shown. Data provided by Yahoo Finance via yfinance. Updated daily.

Key facts

As of October 21, 2026, WTRG closed at $40.74, +0.41% over 1 year.

Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) has a market capitalization of $11.56B.

In fiscal 2025, WTRG reported revenue of $2.47B.

WTRG Stock Return by Calendar Year

Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) 10-year return: what $10,000 became

1 year
$10,000 $10,041
+0.41%
5 years
$10,000 $10,115
+1.15%
10 years
$10,000 $17,915
+79.15%

If you had invested $10,000 in Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) 10 years ago, at the close on October 21, 2016, it would have been worth $17,915 at the close on October 21, 2026: +79.15% in total, +6.00% a year, with dividends reinvested. A historical calculation from closing prices adjusted for splits and dividends, before fees and taxes.

Calendar-year returns computed from daily closing prices. Partial years are shown muted and marked with an asterisk.

YearReturn
2026 (partial year)+8.17%
2025+9.41%
2024+0.52%
2023−19.40%
2022−8.94%
2021+16.05%
2020+2.92%
2019+40.43%
2018−10.66%
2017+33.77%
2016 (partial year)−7.00%

As of October 21, 2026.

WTRG Revenue and Earnings by Fiscal Year

FY ends December
Fiscal yearRevenueNet incomeNet margin
2025$2.47B$616.37M24.9%
2024$2.09B$595.31M28.5%
2023$2.05B$498.23M24.3%
2022$2.29B$465.24M20.3%
Fiscal yearRevenueGross profitOperating incomeNet incomeNet margin
2025$2.47B$1.43B$920.95M$616.37M24.9%
2024$2.09B$1.22B$757.67M$595.31M28.5%
2023$2.05B$1.13B$692.10M$498.23M24.3%
2022$2.29B$1.07B$661.19M$465.24M20.3%

Annual figures as reported, in the company's reporting currency. As of December 31, 2025.

WTRG Dividend History

$1.34+5.7% vs 2024

Dividends per share, 2025 · 4 payments

YearDividends per sharePaymentsChange
2026*$1.053—
2025$1.344+5.7%
2024$1.274+6.6%
2023$1.194+7.0%
YearDividends per sharePaymentsChange
2026 (partial year)$1.053—
2025$1.344+5.7%
2024$1.274+6.6%
2023$1.194+7.0%
2022$1.114+6.9%
2021$1.044+7.0%
2020$0.974+7.1%
2019$0.914+6.8%
2018$0.854+7.1%
2017$0.794+314.7%
2016$0.191—

Most recent payment: $0.35 per share, ex-dividend August 11, 2026. Per-share amounts summed by calendar year from ex-dividend dates. Partial years are shown muted and marked with an asterisk.

WTRG Valuation vs Utilities - Regulated Water Median

Median of 12 stocks
MetricWTRGUtilities - Regulated Water medianvs median
P/E20.7920.651% above
P/S ratio4.504.0810% above
Profit margin21.60%20.35%1.2 pts above

Medians across 12 Utilities - Regulated Water stocks that report the metric. Medians, not averages, so one outlier cannot move them. As of October 21, 2026.

Recent News

All 20 articles ↓

News provided by third-party sources. Not financial advice.

Analysis

Data-derived

Company Overview

Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) carries a market capitalisation of $11.56B. It is classified in the Utilities - Regulated Water industry, within the Utilities sector. The company reports 3,303 employees.

WTRG last closed at $40.74 on October 21, 2026. That is −$0.24 (−0.59%) against the previous close. The 52-week range on file runs from $36.11 to $42.51. The latest close sits 12.82% above that 52-week low.

Financial Health

The most recent full year on file, fiscal 2025, shows revenue of $2.47B. Against the prior fiscal year total of $2.09B, that is a change of +18.62%. Net income for the same year was $616.37M. That is +3.54% against the prior fiscal year. The reported profit margin is 21.6%. That is 1.2 percentage points above the Utilities - Regulated Water median of 20.35%. Trailing earnings per share are 1.96.

Across the 4 fiscal years on file, revenue moves from $2.29B in 2022 to $2.47B in 2025. Of those 4 years, 4 report positive net income.

Valuation Assessment

On trailing earnings, the shares are priced at 20.79 times earnings. That is 0.68% above the Utilities - Regulated Water median of 20.65. The forward P/E on file is 17.12. The PEG ratio, which sets the P/E against expected earnings growth, reads 3.66. Measured against sales, the shares trade at 4.5 times revenue. On price-to-sales that is 10.22% above the Utilities - Regulated Water median of 4.08. 12 Utilities - Regulated Water companies report these metrics, and the medians quoted come from that group.

Beta against the wider market is reported at 0.62. Daily returns over the trailing 10 years annualize to a volatility of 24.94%. Over the trailing twelve months the total return is +0.41%. Across 10 years the annualized return works out at +6.00%.

Growth & Income

Shareholders receive a dividend, yielding 3.52% on the latest price. That is 0.6 percentage points above the Utilities - Regulated Water median yield of 2.88%. The indicated annual rate is $1.44 a share. The ex-dividend date on file is August 11, 2026. Dividends are recorded for 11 calendar years; 2026 shows 3 payments totalling $1.05 a share. The year before, 2025, totalled $1.34 a share.

So far in 2026 the total return is +8.17%. Across the complete calendar years on file, 2019 returned +40.43% and 2023 returned −19.40%. Of the 9 complete calendar years on file, 6 finished higher.

Peer Comparison

Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) operates in the Utilities - Regulated Water industry. Here is how it compares to its closest peers by market capitalization:

Company Ticker Market Cap P/E Ratio
Essential Utilities, Inc. WTRG $11.56B 20.8
American Water Works Company, Inc. AWK $26.78B 23.4
Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP SBS $22.22B 14.4
American States Water Company AWR $3.26B 22.5

The Utilities - Regulated Water industry average P/E ratio is 20.7x. Essential Utilities, Inc. trades at a P/E of 20.8.

Every figure above is read from this page's own data on each daily rebuild. Informational only, not financial advice. As of October 21, 2026.

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About Essential Utilities, Inc.

Essential Utilities, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates regulated utilities that provide water, wastewater, and natural gas services in the United States. The company operates through Regulated Water; and Regulated Natural Gas segments. It also provides utility service line protection solutions and repair services to households; gas marketing and production activities; and natural gas distribution services. The company serves approximately 5.5 million residential water, commercial water, fire protection, industrial water, wastewater, and other water and utility customers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, Indiana, Virginia, and Kentucky under the Aqua and Peoples brands. The company was formerly known as Aqua America, Inc. and changed its name to Essential Utilities, Inc. in February 2020. Essential Utilities, Inc. was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

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