WTRG Stock Analysis: Essential Utilities | NYSE
Utilities - Regulated Water | NYSE, USA | Market Cap: 11.229m USD | 12M Return: 7.5% | US29670G1022 | Charts, Fundamentals & Technical Analysis
Avg Turnover: 81.5M
EPS Trend: 57.9%
Qual. Beats: 0
Rev. Trend: 78.8%
Qual. Beats: 0
Warnings
Tailwinds
No distinct edge detected
Seasonality 11.6 years of data
How good or bad each month usually is (without trend). The score below shows how much you can trust it: 0 = pure chance, >40 gets interesting and >55 is strong.
Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE: WTRG) is a U.S.-based regulated utility holding company that provides water, wastewater, and natural gas services through two reportable segments: Regulated Water and Regulated Natural Gas. Beyond its core utility operations, the company offers utility service line protection and repair programs to households, along with gas marketing, production, and natural gas distribution services.
The company serves approximately 5.5 million customers across nine states - Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, Indiana, Virginia, and Kentucky - operating under the Aqua and Peoples brands. Originally founded in 1886 as Aqua America, the company rebranded to Essential Utilities, Inc. in February 2020 and is headquartered in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
As a regulated water and natural gas utility, Essential Utilities operates within a rate-regulated business model, where revenues and authorized returns on infrastructure investments are typically determined through state public utility commission proceedings. The U.S. water utility sector is highly fragmented, which has historically supported consolidation strategies pursued by larger operators seeking scale efficiencies across multi-state service territories.
- Multi-state rate case decisions drive regulated water segment margins
- Capital expenditure accelerates rate base growth across nine states
- Municipal water acquisitions expand customer base to 5.5 million
| Net Income: 554.9m TTM > 0 and > 6% of Revenue |
| FCF/TA: -0.02 > 0.02 and ΔFCF/TA 0.13 > 1.0 |
| NWC/Revenue: -5.20% < 20% (prev -6.82%; Δ 1.61% < -1%) |
| CFO/TA 0.05 > 3% & CFO 1.03b > Net Income 554.9m |
| Net Debt (8.53b) to EBITDA (1.32b): 6.47 < 3 |
| Current Ratio: 0.78 > 1.5 & < 3 |
| Outstanding Shares: last quarter (284k) vs 12m ago -99.90% < -2% |
| Gross Margin: 43.13% > 18% (prev 59.41%; Δ -16.28% > 0.5%) |
| Asset Turnover: 13.35% > 50% (prev 12.60%; Δ 0.74% > 0%) |
| Interest Coverage Ratio: 2.62 > 6 (EBIT TTM 900.7m / Interest Expense TTM 343.6m) |
| A: -0.01 (Total Current Assets 465.3m - Total Current Liabilities 599.0m) / Total Assets 19.9b |
| B: 0.12 (Retained Earnings 2.42b / Total Assets 19.9b) |
| C: 0.05 (EBIT TTM 900.7m / Avg Total Assets 19.2b) |
| D: 0.54 (Book Value of Equity 7.02b / Total Liabilities 12.9b) |
| Altman-Z'' = 1.24 = BB |
| DSRI: 0.99 (Receivables 305.5m/280.8m, Revenue 2.57b/2.34b) |
| GMI: 1.38 (GM 59.41% / 43.13%) |
| AQI: 0.97 (AQ_t 0.24 / AQ_t-1 0.24) |
| SGI: 1.10 (Revenue 2.57b / 2.34b) |
| TATA: -0.02 (NI 554.9m - CFO 1.03b) / TA 19.9b) |
| Beneish M = -2.64 (Cap -4..+1) = A |
As of August 12, 2026, the stock is trading at USD 40.08 with a total of 1,274,101 shares traded. Over the past week, the price has changed by +2.24%, over one month by +4.81%, over three months by +8.65% and over the past year by +7.45%.
Current recommended Stop Loss: 38.00 (which is 5.2% or 2.1 ATR below the current price).
Essential Utilities has received a consensus analysts rating of 4.55. Therefore, it is recommended to buy WTRG.
- StrongBuy: 8
- Buy: 1
- Hold: 2
- Sell: 0
- StrongSell: 0
| Analysts Target Price | 41.6 | 3.8% |
P/E Trailing = 20.199
P/E Forward = 17.6991
P/S = 4.3988
P/B = 1.6397
P/EG = 3.7925
Revenue TTM = 2.57b USD
EBIT TTM = 900.7m USD
EBITDA TTM = 1.32b USD
Long Term Debt = 8.11b USD (from longTermDebt, last fiscal year)
Short Term Debt = 83.3m USD (from shortTermDebt, last quarter)
Debt = 8.54b USD (from shortLongTermDebtTotal, last quarter) + Leases 20.1m
Net Debt = 8.53b USD (calculated: Debt 8.54b - CCE 8.63m)
Enterprise Value = 19.8b USD (11.2b + Debt 8.54b - CCE 8.63m)
Interest Coverage Ratio = 2.62 (Ebit TTM 900.7m / Interest Expense TTM 343.6m)
EV/FCF = -40.47x (Enterprise Value 19.8b / FCF TTM -488.4m)
FCF Yield = -2.47% (FCF TTM -488.4m / Enterprise Value 19.8b)
FCF Margin = -19.01% (FCF TTM -488.4m / Revenue TTM 2.57b)
Net Margin = 21.60% (Net Income TTM 554.9m / Revenue TTM 2.57b)
Gross Margin = 43.13% ((Revenue TTM 2.57b - Cost of Revenue TTM 1.46b) / Revenue TTM)
Gross Margin QoQ = none% (prev 39.06%)
Tobins Q-Ratio = 0.99 (Enterprise Value 19.8b / Total Assets 19.9b)
Interest Expense / Debt = 4.02% (Interest Expense 343.6m / Debt 8.54b)
Taxrate = 5.01% (29.2m / 584.1m)
NOPAT = 855.6m (EBIT 900.7m * (1 - 5.01%))
Current Ratio = 0.78 (Total Current Assets 465.3m / Total Current Liabilities 599.0m)
Debt / Equity = 1.22 (Debt 8.54b / totalStockholderEquity, last quarter 7.02b)
Debt / EBITDA = 6.47 (Net Debt 8.53b / EBITDA 1.32b)
Debt / FCF = -17.48 (negative FCF - burning cash) (Net Debt 8.53b / FCF TTM -488.4m)
Total Stockholder Equity = 6.90b (last 4 quarters mean from totalStockholderEquity)
RoA = 2.88% (Net Income 554.9m / Total Assets 19.9b)
RoE = 8.05% (Net Income TTM 554.9m / Total Stockholder Equity 6.90b)
RoCE = 6.00% (EBIT 900.7m / Capital Employed (Equity 6.90b + L.T.Debt 8.11b))
RoIC = 4.41% (NOPAT 855.6m / Invested Capital 19.4b)
WACC = 4.14% (E(11.2b)/V(19.8b) * Re(4.38%) + D(8.54b)/V(19.8b) * Rd(4.02%) * (1-Tc(0.05)))
Discount Rate = 4.38% (= CAPM, Blume Beta Adj.)
Shares (quarterly) Correlation: -48.43 | Cagr: -95.28%
[DCF] Fair Price = unknown (Cash Flow -488.4m)
EPS Correlation: 57.92 | EPS CAGR: 4.04% | SUE: 0.0 | # QB: 0
Revenue Correlation: 78.76 | Revenue CAGR: 9.69% | SUE: -0.23 | # QB: 0
EPS current Quarter (2026-09-30): EPS=0.35 | Chg30d=+0.49% | Revisions=+25% | Analysts=3
EPS current Year (2026-12-31): EPS=2.25 | Chg30d=+0.05% | Revisions=+0% | GrowthEPS=+2.1% | GrowthRev=+2.5%
EPS next Year (2027-12-31): EPS=2.38 | Chg30d=-0.31% | Revisions=+0% | GrowthEPS=+5.9% | GrowthRev=+6.1%
[Analyst] Revisions Ratio: +12% (up=3, down=2)