Last 48 quarters of trend data · Utilities · Regulated Water
Quarterly valuation ratios — annualised for comparability. YoY Δ shows same-quarter-prior-year change.
Essential Utilities, Inc.'s quarterly P/E stands at 12.7x, up 32.8% year-over-year — indicating the stock has re-rated higher or earnings have softened. EV/EBITDA has expanded 10.3% YoY to 11.7x, reflecting rising market expectations or slowing EBITDA growth.
| Metric | TTM | Q1 '26 | Q4 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q1 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q1 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q2 '23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio → | 16.68 | 12.74 | 20.40 | 30.23 | 24.43 | 9.59 | 13.55 | 38.57 | 33.33 | 9.55 | 18.68 | 28.61 | 29.35 |
| — | +32.8% | +50.6% | -21.6% | -26.7% | +0.5% | -27.4% | +34.8% | +13.6% | -37.0% | -31.1% | -28.1% | -20.6% | |
| P/S Ratio | 4.21 | 3.31 | 3.89 | 5.90 | 5.06 | 3.48 | 4.13 | 6.08 | 5.89 | 4.14 | 5.33 | 5.58 | 6.05 |
| — | -4.7% | -5.9% | -2.9% | -14.0% | -16.1% | -22.4% | +9.1% | -2.7% | +4.2% | +19.6% | -10.8% | -9.8% | |
| P/B Ratio | 1.50 | 1.66 | 1.59 | 1.65 | 1.55 | 1.69 | 1.61 | 1.71 | 1.66 | 1.67 | 1.73 | 1.55 | 1.88 |
| — | -1.8% | -1.6% | -3.5% | -6.5% | +1.1% | -7.0% | +10.6% | -11.8% | -20.4% | -25.9% | -23.9% | -16.5% | |
| P/FCF | — | — | — | — | — | 94.02 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| EV / EBITDA | 13.98 | 11.74 | 14.33 | 17.34 | 15.75 | 10.64 | 13.70 | 18.18 | 18.45 | 13.38 | 16.50 | 17.91 | 18.11 |
| — | +10.3% | +4.6% | -4.6% | -14.6% | -20.4% | -16.9% | +1.5% | +1.9% | -9.5% | -14.6% | -14.3% | -14.0% | |
| EV / EBIT | 20.32 | 15.93 | 20.60 | 26.88 | 23.67 | 13.51 | 18.83 | 27.78 | 28.97 | 13.06 | 24.36 | 27.60 | 27.24 |
| — | +17.9% | +9.4% | -3.3% | -18.3% | +3.5% | -22.7% | +0.6% | +6.3% | -33.6% | -12.7% | -15.1% | -13.2% |
Quarterly margins and returns. Watch for margin compression across consecutive quarters.
Essential Utilities, Inc.'s operating margin was 36.0% in Q1 2026, up 3.6 pp QoQ and down 7.2 pp YoY. The trailing four-quarter average of 35.0% lags the current quarter, suggesting the recent improvement is above-trend. Gross margin contracted 33.6% YoY, suggesting cost inflation or competitive pricing pressure.
| Metric | TTM | Q1 '26 | Q4 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q1 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q1 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q2 '23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 41.0% | 39.1% | 36.0% | 63.1% | 60.1% | 58.8% | 57.3% | 62.4% | 59.4% | 56.4% | 59.4% | 60.2% | 59.8% |
| — | -33.6% | -37.2% | +1.1% | +1.2% | +4.3% | -3.6% | +3.7% | -0.7% | +23.5% | +53.3% | +13.2% | +12.5% | |
| Operating Margin | 37.2% | 36.0% | 32.5% | 35.6% | 36.0% | 43.2% | 37.5% | 35.6% | 33.4% | 37.7% | 36.3% | 33.4% | 35.6% |
| — | -16.7% | -13.4% | -0.1% | +7.6% | +14.8% | +3.3% | +6.6% | -5.9% | +21.4% | +50.6% | +15.4% | +15.8% | |
| Net Margin | 24.9% | 26.0% | 19.0% | 19.3% | 20.9% | 36.2% | 30.6% | 15.9% | 17.4% | 43.4% | 28.3% | 19.5% | 20.9% |
| — | -28.1% | -37.9% | +21.1% | +20.7% | -16.6% | +8.2% | -18.1% | -17.0% | +64.8% | +73.4% | +23.3% | +14.0% |
| Metric | TTM | Q1 '26 | Q4 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q1 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q1 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q2 '23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 9.4% | 3.3% | 1.9% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 4.5% | 3.0% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 4.4% | 2.3% | 1.4% | 1.6% |
| — | -27.2% | -35.0% | +21.0% | +32.9% | +1.0% | +30.2% | -19.0% | -24.9% | +26.3% | +6.9% | +8.0% | +5.6% | |
| ROA | 3.3% | 1.1% | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 1.6% | 1.0% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1.6% | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| — | -27.5% | -34.1% | +23.4% | +33.0% | -0.4% | +27.5% | -19.0% | -23.2% | +29.2% | +9.8% | +8.7% | +4.0% | |
| ROIC | 4.8% | 1.5% | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 1.8% | 1.2% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.3% | 1.0% | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| — | -15.2% | -7.9% | +0.9% | +17.4% | +36.1% | +21.8% | +5.8% | -12.4% | -4.1% | -4.1% | +1.5% | +4.4% |
Quarterly solvency trend — watch for debt spikes or covenant pressure.
Essential Utilities, Inc.'s Debt/EBITDA ratio is 20.0x, down from 24.9x last quarter — elevated, raising questions about debt serviceability. The current ratio has improved 45.6% YoY to 0.95x, strengthening the short-term liquidity position. Debt/Equity has risen for 4 consecutive quarters, indicating increasing financial leverage that investors should watch closely.
| Metric | TTM | Q1 '26 | Q4 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q1 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q1 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q2 '23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 1.22 | 1.22 | 1.22 | 1.17 | 1.16 | 1.20 | 1.25 | 1.20 | 1.17 | 1.16 | 1.20 | 1.16 | 1.23 |
| — | +1.7% | -2.5% | -3.0% | -0.8% | +4.0% | +3.7% | +4.1% | -4.8% | -5.3% | -5.4% | -6.1% | +4.9% | |
| Debt / EBITDA | 6.23 | 20.04 | 24.92 | 28.71 | 27.00 | 17.76 | 23.91 | 30.00 | 30.55 | 21.98 | 27.04 | 30.62 | 28.64 |
| — | +12.8% | +4.2% | -4.3% | -11.6% | -19.2% | -11.6% | -2.0% | +6.7% | +0.8% | -0.8% | -2.9% | -0.7% | |
| Current Ratio | 0.80 | 0.95 | 0.80 | 0.60 | 0.73 | 0.65 | 0.50 | 0.55 | 0.58 | 0.62 | 0.62 | 0.46 | 0.53 |
| — | +45.6% | +60.2% | +8.8% | +27.3% | +5.7% | -19.1% | +19.9% | +8.5% | -2.6% | -4.3% | -28.5% | -30.0% | |
| Quick Ratio | 0.65 | 0.84 | 0.65 | 0.43 | 0.58 | 0.57 | 0.40 | 0.39 | 0.44 | 0.52 | 0.48 | 0.31 | 0.39 |
| — | +46.8% | +62.0% | +8.2% | +31.8% | +10.2% | -15.4% | +25.1% | +13.5% | +0.9% | +6.0% | -14.4% | -25.5% | |
| Interest Coverage | 2.88 | 3.56 | 2.74 | 2.17 | 2.41 | 4.21 | 2.97 | 2.11 | 2.06 | 4.48 | 2.43 | 2.11 | 2.32 |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Includes 30+ ratios · 48 years · Updated daily
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Quick answers to the most common questions about buying WTRG stock.
Essential Utilities, Inc.'s current P/E is 16.7x. The average P/E over the last 4 quarters is 22.0x. Quarterly P/E ratios can vary due to seasonal revenue patterns and one-time charges.
Essential Utilities, Inc.'s current operating margin is 37.2%. Margins have been expanding over recent quarters. Quarterly margins are particularly useful for identifying trend inflections that annual data smooths over.
Quarterly financial ratios reveal short-term trend shifts — margin compression, debt spikes, or valuation re-ratings — that annual figures smooth over. They're essential for active investors tracking Essential Utilities, Inc.'s business trajectory between earnings reports.