Essential Utilities

WTRG

Regulated Water · Utilities

Price

$40.18

-0.23 (-0.57%)

Market Cap

$11.40B

Winston Score

Winston is serious

Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.

Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026

How the score breaks down

Quality

Good

Growth

Mixed

Cash Flow

Good

Stability

Weak

Valuation

Good

Dividends

Good

Track this stock — start free trial

Share count rising — dilution

+8.7% over 4y

The company has issued more shares over this period, which dilutes each existing shareholder’s stake.

Diluted shares outstanding: 258.2M (2021) → 280.6M (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

Essential Utilities owns and operates water and wastewater systems that deliver clean drinking water and treat used water for homes, businesses, and municipalities. It serves roughly 5.5 million people across about 10 states, primarily in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and North Carolina, and also runs a natural gas distribution business under the Peoples brand.

The company earns money by charging customers regulated rates set by state utility commissions, which means revenue is stable but growth is limited by what regulators allow. Its main competitive advantage is that water infrastructure is expensive to duplicate, making it a natural monopoly in the areas it serves. The key growth driver is acquiring small, municipally owned water systems that lack the capital to upgrade aging pipes and treatment facilities, though rising interest rates and heavy capital spending requirements put ongoing pressure on returns.

Politician Trades

5 trades / 12mo

2 Congressional buys and 3 sells on WTRG in the last 12 months.

Unlock the full Smart Money Map — every trade plotted on the price chart with politicians, amounts and returns since each trade. Founder's Deal is $57/mo locked for life.

Unlock politician trades

Growth Profile

For growth stock investors

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+3.1% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

EPS Growth

-2.6% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Earnings declining

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (1%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

0.3%ownership

→ Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Runway

~0 months

$0 cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↓ Burn rate worsening

Short runway — potential dilution ahead through share issuance

Cash watch

Essential Utilities has less than a year of cash at its current burn rate. Growth investors should watch for potential share dilution from future fundraising — that directly reduces your ownership.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

Each metric is explained in plain language so you know exactly what you're looking at. Start your free trial now.

Quality

Profit per sale

Gross Margin

0.0%

Thin — 0.0% gross margin

Profit after running costs

Operating Margin

36.4%

Excellent — 36.4% operating margin

Return on the money invested

ROCE

12.8%

Good — 12.8% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Growth

Sales growth

Sales YoY

+9.9%

Steady sales growth (+9.9% YoY)

Profit growth

EPS YoY

-15.9%

Earnings shrinking (-15.9% YoY)

Earnings per share down more than 10%. Either a bad year, or a real decline.

How steady the profit is

EPS Consistency

4/8 quarters

Earnings inconsistent quarter-to-quarter

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash

Cash Conversion

176%

Turns 176% of profit into real cash

Spare cash per sale

FCF Margin

-19.7%

Burning cash (-19.7%)

Free cash flow is negative. They are burning cash, not generating it.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Stability

What it owes vs what it owns

Debt / Equity

N/A

Data not available

Covers its interest

Interest Cover

2.62x

Tight — interest eats into profit (2.6x)

Interest coverage between 1 and 3. Profits cover interest, but with little room to spare.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Valuation

Price vs profit

P/E Ratio (TTM)

20.5x

Growth-priced — P/E 20.5

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year

P/E vs Forward

+4.3

GROWING

Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (20.5 → 16.2)

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Dividends

Dividend

Dividend Yield

3.57%

Moderate income — 3.57% yield

Standard yield zone for stable dividend payers. A meaningful piece of total return.

Dividend record

Dividend Growth

+5.3%

Dividend growing modestly (5.3% YoY)

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

🔒 See full fundamentals and if they are improving or declining — click here for your free trial now.

Start free trial