Essential Utilities [WTRG] vs California Water [CWT] Detailed Stock Comparison

Essential Utilities Inc.

NYSE
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California Water Service Group

NYSE
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TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 21 vital metrics comparison: Essential Utilities Inc. wins in 12 metrics, California Water Service Group wins in 9 metrics, with 0 ties. Essential Utilities Inc. appears stronger overall.

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric Essential Utilities Inc. California Water Service Group Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) 17.96 22.10 Essential Utilities Inc.
Price-to-Book Ratio 1.63 1.68 Essential Utilities Inc.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 121.56 95.55 California Water Service Group
PEG Ratio -0.60 -0.52 California Water Service Group
EV/EBITDA 14.64 12.71 California Water Service Group
Profit Margin (TTM) 24.91% 12.82% Essential Utilities Inc.
Operating Margin (TTM) 32.43% 10.22% Essential Utilities Inc.
EBITDA Margin (TTM) 32.43% 10.22% Essential Utilities Inc.
Return on Equity 9.44% 7.68% Essential Utilities Inc.
Return on Assets (TTM) 3.05% 2.30% Essential Utilities Inc.
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $-419.52M $-214.43M California Water Service Group
Dividend Yield 3.61% 3.59% Essential Utilities Inc.
1-Year Return -1.42% -1.64% Essential Utilities Inc.
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 4.52 2.84 California Water Service Group
Enterprise Value $19.49B $4.40B Essential Utilities Inc.
EV/Revenue Ratio 7.88 4.40 California Water Service Group
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) 51.35% 59.53% California Water Service Group
Revenue per Share (TTM) $9 $17 California Water Service Group
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $2.20 $2.15 Essential Utilities Inc.
Beta (Stock Volatility) 0.77 0.61 California Water Service Group
Short % of Float 1.72% 2.99% Essential Utilities Inc.

Essential Utilities Inc. vs California Water Service Group Stock Performance Analysis

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WTRG
CWT

Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
Essential Utilities Inc.0.13%2.48%1.49%-8.48%-2.26%-2.87%
California Water Service Group-0.44%0.53%6.83%0.76%3.56%5.63%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
Essential Utilities Inc.-1.42%-9.46%-19.56%10.88%117.83%120.26%
California Water Service Group-1.64%-13.15%-18.71%42.85%151.21%162.20%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: Essential Utilities Inc. vs California Water Service Group

MetricWTRGCWT
Market Information
Market Cap i$11.20B$2.84B
Market Cap CategoryLarge capMid cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i2,981,330608,938
90 Day Avg. Volume i2,206,650499,926
Last Close$37.56$45.37
52 Week Range$36.11 - $42.37$41.29 - $50.44
% from 52W High-11.35%-10.05%
All-Time High$54.52 (Feb 17, 2020)$72.08 (Dec 27, 2021)
% from All-Time High-31.11%-37.06%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth0.16%-0.01%
Quarterly Earnings Growth-0.28%-0.42%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.25%0.13%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.32%0.10%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.09%0.08%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i121.5695.55
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$24.22$28.33
Cash per Share (MRQ)$0.12$0.87
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$1.01B$302.56M
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$-762,487,232$-288,263,008
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i3.61%3.59%
Last 12-Month Dividend i$1.35$1.58

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: Essential Utilities Inc. vs California Water Service Group

MetricWTRG (Apr 26, 2026)CWT (Apr 24, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i17.9622.10
Forward P/E i16.3517.16
PEG Ratio i-0.60-0.52
Price to Sales (TTM) i4.522.84
Price to Book (MRQ) i1.631.68
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$11.20B$2.84B
Enterprise Value i$19.49B$4.40B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i7.884.40
Enterprise to EBITDA i14.6412.71
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i0.770.61
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$24.22$28.33

Financial Statements Comparison: Essential Utilities Inc. vs California Water Service Group

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricWTRG (2025)CWT (2025)
Revenue/Sales i2.47B1.00B
Cost of Goods Sold i1.04B356.68M
COGS % of Revenue i42.2%35.7%
Gross Profit i1.43B643.46M
Gross Margin i57.8%64.3%
Research & Development iN/AN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i920.95M183.09M
Operating Margin i37.2%18.3%
EBITDA i1.34B352.47M
EBITDA Margin i54.1%35.2%
Pre-Tax Income i619.81M146.95M
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i25.0%14.7%
Income Tax i3.45M19.11M
Income Tax % of Revenue i0.1%1.9%
Net Income (Profit) i616.37M127.85M
Profit Margin i24.9%12.8%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricWTRG (2025)CWT (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i34.78M51.82M
Total Current Assets i610.40M354.43M
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i24.7%35.4%
Total Current Liabilities i764.48M418.16M
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i30.9%41.8%
Long-Term Debt i8.13B1.47B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i328.6%147.2%
Total Shareholders Equity i6.86B1.69B
Retained Earnings i2.28B729.28M
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i92.2%72.9%
Property, Plant & Equipment i2.12B1.67B

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricWTRG (2025)CWT (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i975.26M302.56M
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i39.4%30.3%
Capital Expenditures i-1.43BN/A
Free Cash Flow i-419.52M-214.43M
FCF Margin i-17.0%-21.4%
Debt Repayment i-1.32B-695.90M
Common Stock Repurchase i-2.28M-1.43M

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricWTRGCWT
Shares Short i4.26M1.26M
Short Ratio i2.242.66
Short % of Float i1.72%2.99%
Shares Outstanding i283.08M59.64M
Float Shares i282.19M59.15M
% Held by Insiders i0.22%0.68%
% Held by Institutions i83.07%91.60%
% Held by Public i16.71%7.72%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: Essential Utilities Inc. vs California Water Service Group

MetricWTRGCWT
Last 12-Month Dividend i$1.35$1.58
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i3.61%3.59%
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend i$1.29$1.16
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield i0.84%0.59%
3-Year Total Dividends i$3.87$3.48
Ex-Dividend DateFeb 09, 2026Feb 09, 2026