ESSENTIAL UTILITIES INC (WTRG) Fundamental Analysis & Valuation
NYSE:WTRG • US29670G1022
Current stock price
40.585 USD
-0.46 (-1.13%)
Last:
This WTRG fundamental analysis includes valuation metrics, fair value assessment, financial health analysis, profitability trends, growth metrics and dividend sustainability analysis.
1. WTRG Profitability Analysis
1.1 Basic Checks
- WTRG had positive earnings in the past year.
- WTRG had a positive operating cash flow in the past year.
- Each year in the past 5 years WTRG has been profitable.
- In the past 5 years WTRG always reported a positive cash flow from operatings.
1.2 Ratios
- WTRG's Return On Assets of 3.17% is fine compared to the rest of the industry. WTRG outperforms 71.43% of its industry peers.
- WTRG's Return On Equity of 8.99% is fine compared to the rest of the industry. WTRG outperforms 64.29% of its industry peers.
- Looking at the Return On Invested Capital, with a value of 3.86%, WTRG is in the better half of the industry, outperforming 64.29% of the companies in the same industry.
- The Average Return On Invested Capital over the past 3 years for WTRG is in line with the industry average of 4.53%.
- The last Return On Invested Capital (3.86%) for WTRG is above the 3 year average (3.57%), which is a sign of increasing profitability.
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ROA | 3.17% | ||
| ROE | 8.99% | ||
| ROIC | 3.86% |
ROA(3y)3.14%
ROA(5y)3.07%
ROE(3y)9.01%
ROE(5y)8.8%
ROIC(3y)3.57%
ROIC(5y)3.52%
1.3 Margins
- Looking at the Profit Margin, with a value of 24.91%, WTRG belongs to the top of the industry, outperforming 85.71% of the companies in the same industry.
- In the last couple of years the Profit Margin of WTRG has grown nicely.
- With an excellent Operating Margin value of 37.22%, WTRG belongs to the best of the industry, outperforming 100.00% of the companies in the same industry.
- In the last couple of years the Operating Margin of WTRG has grown nicely.
- With an excellent Gross Margin value of 83.68%, WTRG belongs to the best of the industry, outperforming 92.86% of the companies in the same industry.
- WTRG's Gross Margin has been stable in the last couple of years.
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| OM | 37.22% | ||
| PM (TTM) | 24.91% | ||
| GM | 83.68% |
OM growth 3Y8.8%
OM growth 5Y2.62%
PM growth 3Y7%
PM growth 5Y5.05%
GM growth 3Y4.33%
GM growth 5Y-1.15%
2. WTRG Health Analysis
2.1 Basic Checks
- With a Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) below the Cost of Capital (WACC), WTRG is destroying value.
- Compared to 1 year ago, WTRG has more shares outstanding
- Compared to 5 years ago, WTRG has more shares outstanding
- WTRG has a better debt/assets ratio than last year.
2.2 Solvency
- Based on the Altman-Z score of 0.99, we must say that WTRG is in the distress zone and has some risk of bankruptcy.
- With a Altman-Z score value of 0.99, WTRG perfoms like the industry average, outperforming 42.86% of the companies in the same industry.
- A Debt/Equity ratio of 1.20 is on the high side and indicates that WTRG has dependencies on debt financing.
- WTRG's Debt to Equity ratio of 1.20 is in line compared to the rest of the industry. WTRG outperforms 42.86% of its industry peers.
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Debt/Equity | 1.2 | ||
| Debt/FCF | N/A | ||
| Altman-Z | 0.99 |
ROIC/WACC0.49
WACC7.87%
2.3 Liquidity
- A Current Ratio of 0.80 indicates that WTRG may have some problems paying its short term obligations.
- WTRG has a Current ratio (0.80) which is comparable to the rest of the industry.
- WTRG has a Quick Ratio of 0.80. This is a bad value and indicates that WTRG is not financially healthy enough and could expect problems in meeting its short term obligations.
- WTRG has a worse Quick ratio (0.65) than 64.29% of its industry peers.
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 0.8 | ||
| Quick Ratio | 0.65 |
3. WTRG Growth Analysis
3.1 Past
- WTRG shows a small growth in Earnings Per Share. In the last year, the EPS has grown by 1.84%.
- The Earnings Per Share has been growing slightly by 6.94% on average over the past years.
- Looking at the last year, WTRG shows a quite strong growth in Revenue. The Revenue has grown by 18.62% in the last year.
- The Revenue has been growing by 11.09% on average over the past years. This is quite good.
EPS 1Y (TTM)1.84%
EPS 3Y7.68%
EPS 5Y6.94%
EPS Q2Q%-29.85%
Revenue 1Y (TTM)18.62%
Revenue growth 3Y2.65%
Revenue growth 5Y11.09%
Sales Q2Q%15.67%
3.2 Future
- The Earnings Per Share is expected to grow by 5.31% on average over the next years.
- The Revenue is expected to grow by 4.60% on average over the next years.
EPS Next Y4.11%
EPS Next 2Y5.53%
EPS Next 3Y5.43%
EPS Next 5Y5.31%
Revenue Next Year10.17%
Revenue Next 2Y8.73%
Revenue Next 3Y7.65%
Revenue Next 5Y4.6%
3.3 Evolution
- When comparing the EPS growth rate of the last years to the growth rate of the upcoming years, we see that the growth is decreasing.
- The Revenue growth rate is decreasing: in the next years the growth will be less than in the last years.
4. WTRG Valuation Analysis
4.1 Price/Earnings Ratio
- Based on the Price/Earnings ratio of 18.36, the valuation of WTRG can be described as rather expensive.
- Based on the Price/Earnings ratio, WTRG is valued a bit cheaper than the industry average as 78.57% of the companies are valued more expensively.
- Compared to an average S&P500 Price/Earnings ratio of 24.75, WTRG is valued a bit cheaper.
- The Price/Forward Earnings ratio is 17.64, which indicates a rather expensive current valuation of WTRG.
- Compared to the rest of the industry, the Price/Forward Earnings ratio of WTRG indicates a rather cheap valuation: WTRG is cheaper than 85.71% of the companies listed in the same industry.
- WTRG is valuated rather cheaply when we compare the Price/Forward Earnings ratio to 22.10, which is the current average of the S&P500 Index.
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 18.36 | ||
| Fwd PE | 17.64 |
4.2 Price Multiples
- Compared to the rest of the industry, the Enterprise Value to EBITDA ratio of WTRG indicates a somewhat cheap valuation: WTRG is cheaper than 71.43% of the companies listed in the same industry.
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| P/FCF | N/A | ||
| EV/EBITDA | 14.73 |
4.3 Compensation for Growth
- The high PEG Ratio(NY), which compensates the Price/Earnings for growth, indicates WTRG does not grow enough to justify the current Price/Earnings ratio.
- The excellent profitability rating of WTRG may justify a higher PE ratio.
PEG (NY)4.47
PEG (5Y)2.65
EPS Next 2Y5.53%
EPS Next 3Y5.43%
5. WTRG Dividend Analysis
5.1 Amount
- With a Yearly Dividend Yield of 3.58%, WTRG has a reasonable but not impressive dividend return.
- Compared to an average industry Dividend Yield of 3.01, WTRG pays a bit more dividend than its industry peers.
- WTRG's Dividend Yield is rather good when compared to the S&P500 average which is at 1.89.
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | 3.58% |
5.2 History
- The dividend of WTRG is nicely growing with an annual growth rate of 6.07%!
- WTRG has paid a dividend for at least 10 years, which is a reliable track record.
- WTRG has not decreased its dividend for at least 10 years, so it has a reliable track record of non decreasing dividend.
Dividend Growth(5Y)6.07%
Div Incr Years33
Div Non Decr Years34
5.3 Sustainability
- WTRG pays out 60.65% of its income as dividend. This is not a sustainable payout ratio.
- WTRG's earnings are growing slower than its dividend. This means the dividend growth is not sustainable.
DP60.65%
EPS Next 2Y5.53%
EPS Next 3Y5.43%
WTRG Fundamentals: All Metrics, Ratios and Statistics
NYSE:WTRG (3/31/2026, 12:13:34 PM)
40.585
-0.46 (-1.13%)
Chartmill FA Rating
GICS SectorUtilities
GICS IndustryGroupUtilities
GICS IndustryWater Utilities
Earnings (Last)02-25 2026-02-25/amc
Earnings (Next)05-11 2026-05-11
Inst Owners83.41%
Inst Owner Change-1.09%
Ins Owners0.22%
Ins Owner Change8.88%
Market Cap11.49B
Revenue(TTM)2.47B
Net Income(TTM)616.37M
Analysts73.85
Price Target42.77 (5.38%)
Short Float %1.91%
Short Ratio2.06
Dividend
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | 3.58% |
Yearly Dividend1.34
Dividend Growth(5Y)6.07%
DP60.65%
Div Incr Years33
Div Non Decr Years34
Ex-Date05-12 2026-05-12 (0.3426)
Surprises & Revisions
EPS beat(2)2
Avg EPS beat(2)12.28%
Min EPS beat(2)10.83%
Max EPS beat(2)13.72%
EPS beat(4)4
Avg EPS beat(4)17.74%
Min EPS beat(4)10.83%
Max EPS beat(4)24.54%
EPS beat(8)6
Avg EPS beat(8)10.65%
EPS beat(12)7
Avg EPS beat(12)6.78%
EPS beat(16)9
Avg EPS beat(16)5.76%
Revenue beat(2)1
Avg Revenue beat(2)5.53%
Min Revenue beat(2)-1.01%
Max Revenue beat(2)12.07%
Revenue beat(4)3
Avg Revenue beat(4)7.14%
Min Revenue beat(4)-1.01%
Max Revenue beat(4)12.07%
Revenue beat(8)4
Avg Revenue beat(8)-0.07%
Revenue beat(12)5
Avg Revenue beat(12)-4.18%
Revenue beat(16)9
Avg Revenue beat(16)-0.23%
PT rev (1m)0%
PT rev (3m)-1.8%
EPS NQ rev (1m)0.77%
EPS NQ rev (3m)4.53%
EPS NY rev (1m)0.23%
EPS NY rev (3m)0.74%
Revenue NQ rev (1m)4.25%
Revenue NQ rev (3m)4.25%
Revenue NY rev (1m)3.71%
Revenue NY rev (3m)4.21%
Valuation
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 18.36 | ||
| Fwd PE | 17.64 | ||
| P/S | 4.64 | ||
| P/FCF | N/A | ||
| P/OCF | 11.37 | ||
| P/B | 1.68 | ||
| P/tB | 2.55 | ||
| EV/EBITDA | 14.73 |
EPS(TTM)2.21
EY5.45%
EPS(NY)2.3
Fwd EY5.67%
FCF(TTM)-1.48
FCFYN/A
OCF(TTM)3.57
OCFY8.79%
SpS8.74
BVpS24.22
TBVpS15.92
PEG (NY)4.47
PEG (5Y)2.65
Graham Number34.7
Profitability
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ROA | 3.17% | ||
| ROE | 8.99% | ||
| ROCE | 4.92% | ||
| ROIC | 3.86% | ||
| ROICexc | 3.87% | ||
| ROICexgc | 4.42% | ||
| OM | 37.22% | ||
| PM (TTM) | 24.91% | ||
| GM | 83.68% | ||
| FCFM | N/A |
ROA(3y)3.14%
ROA(5y)3.07%
ROE(3y)9.01%
ROE(5y)8.8%
ROIC(3y)3.57%
ROIC(5y)3.52%
ROICexc(3y)3.57%
ROICexc(5y)3.52%
ROICexgc(3y)4.13%
ROICexgc(5y)4.12%
ROCE(3y)4.56%
ROCE(5y)4.5%
ROICexgc growth 3Y2.07%
ROICexgc growth 5Y4.86%
ROICexc growth 3Y3.36%
ROICexc growth 5Y6.16%
OM growth 3Y8.8%
OM growth 5Y2.62%
PM growth 3Y7%
PM growth 5Y5.05%
GM growth 3Y4.33%
GM growth 5Y-1.15%
F-Score5
Asset Turnover0.13
Health
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Debt/Equity | 1.2 | ||
| Debt/FCF | N/A | ||
| Debt/EBITDA | 6.17 | ||
| Cap/Depr | 342.53% | ||
| Cap/Sales | 57.79% | ||
| Interest Coverage | 2.96 | ||
| Cash Conversion | 75.5% | ||
| Profit Quality | N/A | ||
| Current Ratio | 0.8 | ||
| Quick Ratio | 0.65 | ||
| Altman-Z | 0.99 |
F-Score5
WACC7.87%
ROIC/WACC0.49
Cap/Depr(3y)350.42%
Cap/Depr(5y)344.93%
Cap/Sales(3y)59.97%
Cap/Sales(5y)56.14%
Profit Quality(3y)N/A
Profit Quality(5y)N/A
High Growth Momentum
Growth
EPS 1Y (TTM)1.84%
EPS 3Y7.68%
EPS 5Y6.94%
EPS Q2Q%-29.85%
EPS Next Y4.11%
EPS Next 2Y5.53%
EPS Next 3Y5.43%
EPS Next 5Y5.31%
Revenue 1Y (TTM)18.62%
Revenue growth 3Y2.65%
Revenue growth 5Y11.09%
Sales Q2Q%15.67%
Revenue Next Year10.17%
Revenue Next 2Y8.73%
Revenue Next 3Y7.65%
Revenue Next 5Y4.6%
EBIT growth 1Y21.55%
EBIT growth 3Y11.68%
EBIT growth 5Y14%
EBIT Next Year54.85%
EBIT Next 3Y21.97%
EBIT Next 5Y17.45%
FCF growth 1Y25.01%
FCF growth 3YN/A
FCF growth 5YN/A
OCF growth 1Y31.17%
OCF growth 3Y18.95%
OCF growth 5Y14.74%
ESSENTIAL UTILITIES INC / WTRG Fundamental Analysis FAQ
Can you provide the ChartMill fundamental rating for ESSENTIAL UTILITIES INC?
ChartMill assigns a fundamental rating of 4 / 10 to WTRG.
Can you provide the valuation status for ESSENTIAL UTILITIES INC?
ChartMill assigns a valuation rating of 3 / 10 to ESSENTIAL UTILITIES INC (WTRG). This can be considered as Overvalued.
Can you provide the profitability details for ESSENTIAL UTILITIES INC?
ESSENTIAL UTILITIES INC (WTRG) has a profitability rating of 8 / 10.
Can you provide the financial health for WTRG stock?
The financial health rating of ESSENTIAL UTILITIES INC (WTRG) is 1 / 10.
How sustainable is the dividend of ESSENTIAL UTILITIES INC (WTRG) stock?
The dividend rating of ESSENTIAL UTILITIES INC (WTRG) is 6 / 10 and the dividend payout ratio is 60.65%.