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United Utilities Group

UU.L
54
Regulated Water · Utilities
Price
1,424.00 GBp
+8.00 (+0.56%)
Market Cap
£10.58B
Exchange
London Stock Exchange
Winston Score
54
Winston is curious
Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Mar 31, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Good
Growth
Strong
Cash Flow
Good
Stability
Weak
Valuation
Strong
Dividends
Strong

Winston Score History

The full picture

United Utilities Group is a regulated water and wastewater company based in the United Kingdom. It supplies clean drinking water and manages sewage and wastewater services for roughly 7 million people across North West England, covering areas like Manchester, Liverpool, and Cumbria. It is the largest listed water company in the UK by the number of customers it serves.

The company earns money through regulated charges set by the UK water regulator, Ofwat, which controls how much United Utilities can bill customers every five years in a process called a price review. This regulatory model provides steady, predictable revenue but also caps how much profit the company can make. United Utilities operates almost entirely within North West England, giving it a natural geographic monopoly in that region. The key growth driver is the UK government's push for heavy investment in water infrastructure to reduce leaks and improve river quality, though rising debt costs and strict regulatory limits on returns remain the main financial risks.

Growth Profile

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

Revenue Growth

+22.9% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

+112.5% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Strong earnings growth

R&D Spend

£0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (1%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

0.8%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Runway

~3 years

£2.2B cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↓ Burn rate worsening

£2.2B cash & investments at current burn rate

Growth context

United Utilities Group is growing revenue at 23% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

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.

Share count broadly stable

+0.2% over 4y

The share count has stayed roughly flat over this period — little dilution or buyback activity.

Diluted shares outstanding: 681.9M (2022) → 683.6M (2026)

Score breakdown

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
47.9%
Healthy — 47.9% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
41.5%
Excellent — 41.5% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
8.0%
Weak — 8.0% return on capital

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

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+22.0%
Fast-growing sales (+22.0% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
+120.5%
Earnings growing fast (+120.5% YoY)

Earnings growing 25%+ a year. The compounder zone.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
5/8 quarters
Mixed — about half the quarters showed growth

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
235%
Turns 235% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
-4.2%
Burning cash (-4.2%)

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

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
5.09
Heavy debt load (5.09)
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.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
16.6x
Fair value — P/E 16.6

P/E in the normal range. Price is roughly $15 for every $1 of yearly profit.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+3.7
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (16.6 → 12.8)

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
3.77%
Moderate income — 3.77% yield

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

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
+10.7%
Dividend growing fast (10.7% YoY)

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