Stock fact sheet · data as of
Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol WTRG · Utilities · Regulated Water · United States · Growth
Is WTRG undervalued?
WTRG closed at 45.13 on 5 Nov 2026, more than 30% above the GLS average fair value of 23.31. Only 0 of the 6 models that produced a value sit above the price. By our models the shares are priced well beyond what the filed earnings, cash flow and book value support; the "below fair value" Wheel Trade Filter keeps names like this under 70.
The 6 models disagree widely: Lynch gives 10.47 while Graham Growth gives 37.02. A spread that wide means the average is sensitive to which methods you trust; the model table below shows where each one lands, and the Quote page lets you switch any of them off.
Ranked against every other company we cover, WTRG is clearly faster-growing than it is cheap, so the nightly engine files it under Growth (value score 30, growth score 58, out of 100).
Nine valuation models for WTRG
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | - | - | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital; no value tonight |
| Graham Number | 33.51 | -26% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 37.02 | -18% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 10.47 | -77% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 16.28 | -64% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | - | - | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10%; no value tonight |
| Payback Time | - | - | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself; no value tonight |
| DDM | 20.43 | -55% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | 22.13 | -51% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -43.81 | -197% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 44.50 | -1% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Financial health is average - WTRG passes 5 of the nine Piotroski tests, which falls one point short of the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter. The Financials tab on the Quote page shows which tests fail. The GLS Moat score is 5.3 out of 10: a record that is solid on some of the four parts the score weighs (returns on capital, pricing power, lasting growth, balance sheet) and weaker on others.
Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC 4.1%, ROE 9.0%, ROA 3.1% - with debt at 1.22 times equity and negative free cash flow.
The dividend yield is 3.08% at a payout ratio of 69%; for a wheel trader holding assigned shares the dividend adds to the covered-call premium, and the ex-dividend date is worth knowing before a call is sold. Revenue comes mainly from Water 55%, Natural Gas 32%, Wastewater 12% (quarter Q2 FY2026).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 1/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 5 / 9 | ROIC | 4.1% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 5.3 / 10 | ROE | 9.0% |
| Debt / equity | 1.22 | ROA | 3.1% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | -4.1% | Payout ratio | 69% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 1 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 26: Weak
WTRG scores 26 out of 100 on the Wheel Score, in the Weak band (under 50): it fails filter 1, options that actually trade - options too quiet (3,091 open interest, 40 a day); and filter 3, below fair value - trades 94% above our fair value; and filter 4, financially healthy - Piotroski 5/9 (under 6); and filter 5, can repay its debt - 8.0 years to repay its debt (over 6); and filter 7, a premium worth selling - implied volatility 25% (under 25%), and the parts are thin too - value weak, premium weak, moat fair, health fair, red flags strong, option trading weak, stability good. The score is not a judgement on the company; it says the price, quality and premium do not line up for selling puts on it today.
Implied volatility on the near-the-money contracts is 25%, below the 25% the Wheel Trade Filter on premium asks for: a put pays too little to be worth selling. Chain open interest is 3,091 contracts across all expiries - enough for the wheel at normal size.
Volume runs at 3.4M shares a day on a market cap of $12.8B, with a beta of 0.61 - a low beta, so day-to-day moves are smaller than the market's; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that good.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Fails | options too quiet (3,091 open interest, 40 a day) |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Fails | trades 94% above our fair value |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Fails | Piotroski 5/9 (under 6) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Fails | 8.0 years to repay its debt (over 6) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Fails | implied volatility 25% (under 25%) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Weak | 94% above fair value | |
| Premium | Weak | implied volatility 25% | |
| Moat | Fair | moat 5.3/10 | |
| Health | Fair | Piotroski 5/9 | |
| Red Flags | Strong | Red Flags score 90/100 | |
| Option trading | Weak | 40 contracts a day, 3,091 open interest | |
| Stability | Good | beta 0.61, $12.8B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for WTRG in the nightly calendar. The shares go ex-dividend on 10 Nov 2026 (0.3606 per share), so a covered call sold before then carries a small early-assignment risk around that date.
Analysts upgraded WTRG 1 time in the last 30 days with no downgrades; the latest action was an upgrade by UBS on 16 Oct 2026.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Regulated Water
The 12 companies below are the closest to Essential Utilities, Inc. by market cap within the Regulated Water industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SBS Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP | 4.62 | 54.10 | +91% | 50Fair | $15.8B |
| AWK American Water Works Company, Inc. | 149.63 | 69.73 | -115% | 30Weak | $29.8B |
| AWR American States Water Company | 88.61 | 46.34 | -91% | 31Weak | $3.5B |
| CWT California Water Service Group | 49.96 | 25.23 | -98% | 25Weak | $3.1B |
| HTO H2O America | 62.65 | 37.06 | -69% | 35Weak | $3.0B |
| MSEX Middlesex Water Company | 59.20 | 28.34 | -109% | 36Weak | $1.1B |
| MSEXP Middlesex Water Company PFD 7% | 492.00 | 134.84 | -265% | 15No options | $822M |
| YORW The York Water Company | 32.26 | 16.59 | -94% | 28Weak | $524M |
| CWCO Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. | 27.39 | 37.70 | +27% | 45Weak | $439M |
| ARTNA Artesian Resources Corporation | 33.85 | 26.16 | -29% | 19No options | $350M |
| ARTNB Artesian Resources Corporation | 34.92 | 26.62 | -31% | 19No options | $350M |
| CDZIP Cadiz Inc. | 19.41 | 4.42 | -339% | 10No options | $330M |
Scan the whole market the same way
A free GLS Equity account gets you nightly fair value and the Wheel Score on ~7,400 US stocks, a watchlist, the scanner preview and the Sunday Scan - the top 10 stocks that pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters, emailed every week. Pro adds the full put and call scanners, unlimited watchlists with alerts and the trade journal.
Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about WTRG
Is WTRG undervalued right now?
No: at 45.13 the stock trades 94% above the GLS average fair value of 23.31 (data as of 5 Nov 2026), well beyond what trailing earnings, cash flow and book value support.
What is the Wheel Score of WTRG and what does it mean?
WTRG scores 26 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filters 1, 3, 4, 5, 7. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for WTRG?
23.31 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 6 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Essential Utilities, Inc. report earnings next?
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for WTRG in our calendar as of 5 Nov 2026; the Calendars page is refreshed every morning.
Does WTRG have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 26 listed contracts with 3,091 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 25% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.