WTRG Stock Analysis: Essential Utilities | NYSE
Utilities - Regulated Water | NYSE, USA | Market Cap: 11.169m USD | 12M Return: -0.1% | US29670G1022 | Charts, Fundamentals & Technical Analysis
Avg Turnover: 103M
EPS Trend: 57.9%
Qual. Beats: 0
Rev. Trend: 78.8%
Qual. Beats: 0
Warnings
Tailwinds
No distinct edge detected
Seasonality 11.7 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. (WTRG) is a US-based regulated utility holding company operating through two segments: Regulated Water and Regulated Natural Gas. The company provides water, wastewater, and natural gas services to approximately 5.5 million customers across nine states (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, Indiana, Virginia, and Kentucky) under the Aqua and Peoples brands, and also offers ancillary services such as utility line protection, gas marketing, and gas production. Founded in 1886 and headquartered in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, the firm was formerly known as Aqua America before rebranding in February 2020.
As a regulated water and natural gas operator, Essential Utilities earns revenue primarily through rates set by state public utility commissions, which allow it to recover operating costs plus a regulated return on invested capital. The business is capital-intensive, requiring ongoing investment in pipelines, treatment plants, and distribution infrastructure, but it benefits from a largely captive customer base and the predictable, recession-resistant cash flows typical of the water utilities sub-industry.
- Pennsylvania rate case decisions boost water segment ROE
- Natural gas segment margins pressured by commodity price volatility
- Infrastructure capex surge expands rate base and earnings
| 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 (1.36b): 6.29 < 3 |
| Current Ratio: 0.78 > 1.5 & < 3 |
| Outstanding Shares: last quarter (284.1m) vs 12m ago 1.20% < -2% |
| Gross Margin: 53.48% > 18% (prev 59.41%; Δ -5.92% > 0.5%) |
| Asset Turnover: 13.35% > 50% (prev 12.60%; Δ 0.74% > 0%) |
| Interest Coverage Ratio: 2.67 > 6 (EBIT TTM 918.3m / 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 918.3m / 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: 1.11 (GM 59.41% / 53.48%) |
| 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 = -2.88 (Cap -4..+1) = A |
As of October 11, 2026, the stock is trading at USD 38.98 with a total of 1,386,511 shares traded. Over the past week, the price has changed by -1.02%, over one month by -7.19%, over three months by +2.09% and over the past year by -0.12%.
Current recommended Stop Loss: 37.90 (which is 2.8% or 1.4 ATR below the current price).
Essential Utilities has received a consensus analysts rating of 3.29. Therefore, it is recommended to hold WTRG.
- StrongBuy: 2
- Buy: 0
- Hold: 3
- Sell: 2
- StrongSell: 0
| Analysts Target Price | 42.2 | 8.3% |
P/E Trailing = 20.1949
P/E Forward = 16.7504
P/S = 4.3505
P/B = 1.6247
P/EG = 3.5849
Revenue TTM = 2.57b USD
EBIT TTM = 918.3m USD
EBITDA TTM = 1.36b USD
Long Term Debt = 8.42b USD (from longTermDebt, last quarter)
Short Term Debt = 83.3m USD (from shortTermDebt, last quarter)
Debt = 8.54b USD (from shortLongTermDebtTotal, last quarter) + Leases 18.7m
Net Debt = 8.53b USD (calculated: Debt 8.54b - CCE 8.63m)
Enterprise Value = 19.7b USD (11.2b + Debt 8.54b - CCE 8.63m)
Interest Coverage Ratio = 2.67 (Ebit TTM 918.3m / Interest Expense TTM 343.6m)
EV/FCF = -40.34x (Enterprise Value 19.7b / FCF TTM -488.4m)
FCF Yield = -2.48% (FCF TTM -488.4m / Enterprise Value 19.7b)
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 = 53.48% ((Revenue TTM 2.57b - Cost of Revenue TTM 1.19b) / Revenue TTM)
Gross Margin QoQ = 91.30% (prev 39.06%)
Tobins Q-Ratio = 0.99 (Enterprise Value 19.7b / Total Assets 19.9b)
Interest Expense / Debt = 4.02% (Interest Expense 343.6m / Debt 8.54b)
Taxrate = 5.01% (29.2m / 584.1m)
NOPAT = 872.4m (EBIT 918.3m * (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 = 6.29 (Net Debt 8.53b / EBITDA 1.36b)
Debt / FCF = -17.47 (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 918.3m / Capital Employed (Equity 6.90b + L.T.Debt 8.42b))
RoIC = 4.49% (NOPAT 872.4m / Invested Capital 19.4b)
WACC = 4.12% (E(11.2b)/V(19.7b) * Re(4.34%) + D(8.54b)/V(19.7b) * Rd(4.02%) * (1-Tc(0.05)))
Discount Rate = 4.34% (= CAPM, Blume Beta Adj.)
Shares (quarterly) Correlation: 95.34 | Cagr: 1.66%
[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=0.34 | Chg30d=+0.06% | Revisions=+25% | Analysts=1
EPS current Year (2026-12-31): EPS=2.22 | Chg30d=+0.01% | Revisions=+17% | GrowthEPS=+0.8% | GrowthRev=+0.1%
EPS next Year (2027-12-31): EPS=2.38 | Chg30d=-0.02% | Revisions=-17% | GrowthEPS=+7.3% | GrowthRev=+7.1%
[Analyst] Revisions Ratio: +10% (up=4, down=3)