Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) Stock Forecast Nov. 6, 2026
Analysis updated on Nov. 6, 2026 (UTC) · Alpha · vs marketSwitch to Total · NYSE
Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) stock forecast summary
Our AI scores Essential Utilities, Inc. every trading day against every stock it covers. Create a free account and follow it to see its rating and price target.
Essential Utilities, Inc. is a large-cap company with a market capitalization of $13.07B. It ranks number 3 by market capitalization among the 12 Water Supply issuers in our coverage with a current forecast.
For WTRG, the Spearman rank correlation between our 90-day forecasts and the returns that followed is 27.0%, measured on 357 forecast dates between 2022-08-19 and 2026-08-07 on this stock's own recent history. A rank correlation runs from -100% to +100%: it measures whether higher forecasts were followed by higher returns, and a value near zero or below means the model has shown little skill on this stock. On the 30-day forecasts the same correlation is 8.0%, measured on 400 forecast dates between 2022-08-19 and 2026-10-07. Across our coverage, the out-of-sample test on 4629 stocks from 2025-01-06 to 2026-08-04 produced a positive net return in 92.9% of rebalance periods (factor-neutral book, net of estimated costs). Full backtest report
Expected return relative to the market over the horizon: a positive alpha means the model expects the stock to beat the market, whatever the market does. Ratings: strong buy ≥ +3.1%, buy ≥ +1.5%, sell < -0.5%, strong sell < -1.8% (top 15%, next 20%, middle 30%, next 20%, bottom 15% of the 2026-11-06 signals)
A free account shows the exact forecast, rating and rank of 3 tickers you follow, WTRG included.
WTRG price chart and AI forecast
How WTRG ranks among 5150 stocks
90D Alpha forecasts of every company scored, cut into five relative ratings at the 15th, 35th, 65th and 85th percentiles (dashed lines).
Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) fundamentals
Trailing twelve months. The industry median and the rank (1 = highest) are taken over the Water Supply peers listed below that report each metric.
Valuation & Market
| Metric | WTRG | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $13.07B | 3/12 |
| P/E Ratio | 23.26x | 5/10 |
| P/B Ratio | 1.83x | 8/11 |
| Dividend Yield | 3.01% | 3/10 |
| EPS | $1.98 | – |
| Book Value/Share | $25.12 | – |
| Revenue/Share | $9.16 | – |
Profitability & Margins
| Metric | WTRG | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| ROE | 8.0% | 6/12 |
| ROA | 2.8% | 6/10 |
| ROIC | 4.8% | 5/9 |
| Operating Margin | 35.5% | 3/10 |
| Net Margin | 21.8% | 3/11 |
| EBT Margin | 23.0% | 6/10 |
| Tax Rate | 5.3% | – |
Financial Health
| Metric | WTRG | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 0.40x | 10/11 |
| Quick Ratio | 0.35x | 7/7 |
| D/E Ratio | 1.85x | 5/12 |
| Financial Leverage | 2.85x | 4/10 |
| Interest Coverage | 2.1x | 7/11 |
| Working Capital | -$729M | 10/11 |
Cash Flow
| Metric | WTRG | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash Flow | $1.02B | 2/11 |
| OCF Growth YoY | 7.6% | 6/10 |
Operational Efficiency
| Metric | WTRG | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Asset Turnover | 0.13x | 8/9 |
| Receivables Turnover | 14.8x | 3/11 |
| Fixed Assets Turnover | 0.2x | 5/7 |
| Days Sales Outstanding | 25 days | 9/11 |
Income Statement
| Metric | WTRG | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Total Revenue | $2.60B | 2/11 |
| Operating Income | $924M | 2/11 |
| Net Income | $567M | 2/12 |
Dividend & Shareholder Information
| Metric | WTRG | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Dividends Per Share | $1.39 | – |
| Payout Ratio | 70.2% | 3/9 |
| Shares Outstanding | 284M | – |
| Net Income Growth | -8.1% | 10/10 |
| EPS Growth | -41.4% | 9/10 |
Balance Sheet Highlights (USD millions)
| Total Current Assets | $486M | 2.4% of assets |
| Cash & Short-term Investments | $9M | 0.0% of assets |
| Accounts Receivable | $176M | 0.9% of assets |
| Inventory | $58M | 0.3% of assets |
| Total Liabilities | $13.17B | 64.9% of assets |
| Short-term Debt | $989M | 4.9% of assets |
WTRG quarterly financials and insider trading
Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) industry peers
Companies classified under the same SEC industry code as Essential Utilities, Inc. (Water Supply): 13 common-stock issuers with a forecast this week, one row per issuer, largest first. This is a classification match, not a curated list of competitors.
Reveal all forecasts · See exact % predictions for all competitors
Sign up free| Company | 90-Day AI Forecast (Alpha) | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|
| WTRG Essential Utilities, Inc. | $13.07B | |
| AWK American Water Works Company, Inc. | $29.92B | |
| SBS Companhia De Saneamento Basico Do Estado De Sao Paulo-Sabesp | $16.84B | |
| AWR American States Water Co | $3.57B | |
| CWT California Water Service Group | $3.21B | |
| HTO H2o America | $3.04B | |
| MSEX Middlesex Water Co | $1.14B | |
| CWCO Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. | $436M | |
| ARTNA Artesian Resources Corp | $355M | |
| CDZI Cadiz Inc | $303M | |
| PCYO Pure Cycle Corp | $258M | |
| GWRS Global Water Resources, Inc. | $210M | |
| EESH Eestech, Inc. | N/A |
Where WTRG sits on the market map
Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) stock news
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Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) stock forecast FAQ
What is the Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) stock forecast?
Our AI scores Essential Utilities, Inc. every trading day against every stock it covers. Create a free account and follow it to see its rating and price target.
How accurate are Essential Utilities, Inc. stock predictions?
For WTRG, the Spearman rank correlation between our 90-day forecasts and the returns that followed is 27.0%, measured on 357 forecast dates between 2022-08-19 and 2026-08-07 on this stock's own recent history. A rank correlation runs from -100% to +100%: it measures whether higher forecasts were followed by higher returns, and a value near zero or below means the model has shown little skill on this stock. On the 30-day forecasts the same correlation is 8.0%, measured on 400 forecast dates between 2022-08-19 and 2026-10-07. Across our coverage, the out-of-sample test on 4629 stocks from 2025-01-06 to 2026-08-04 produced a positive net return in 92.9% of rebalance periods (factor-neutral book, net of estimated costs). Full backtest report
How often are Essential Utilities, Inc. forecasts updated?
Essential Utilities, Inc. forecasts are refreshed on trading days as the daily model run completes. The forecast on this page was produced on Nov. 6, 2026.
Which companies are Essential Utilities, Inc.'s industry peers?
13 issuers in our coverage, WTRG included, share the SEC industry code Water Supply. The largest are: American Water Works Company, Inc. (AWK), Companhia De Saneamento Basico Do Estado De Sao Paulo-Sabesp (SBS), American States Water Co (AWR), California Water Service Group (CWT), H2o America (HTO), Middlesex Water Co (MSEX).
This analysis is generated automatically using our proprietary AI systems and should not be considered personalized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always conduct your own research and consider consulting a financial advisor before making investment decisions.