WTRG Stock — Essential Utilities, Inc.

Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG)

Updated October 16, 2026.

WTRG is a Stock. its distribution rate is 3.54%, its trailing-12-month yield is 3.40%. Dividend Vision Distribution Safety Score™ is 98/100 (Safe). Its deepest 1-year drawdown was 12.2%.

Essential Utilities operates regulated water, wastewater, and natural gas utilities serving approximately 5.5 million customers across nine states under the Aqua and Peoples brands, along with utility service line protection and natural gas marketing services. The company distributes quarterly with a modest current distribution rate. This business appeals to income-focused investors seeking exposure to essential utility services with stable, regulated cash flows.

WTRG performance

Returns are updating. WTRG's total return appears here after the next nightly update.

Its deepest 1-year drawdown was 12.2%.

WTRG key facts

Distribution Safety Score™

98 · Safe

Safety-Adjusted Yield

3.47%

Asset type

Stock

Asset class

Equity

Inception date

03/17/1980

Distribution rate

3.54%

Distribution frequency

Quarterly

Trailing yield

3.40%

5-year average yield

2.91

Last close

$40.83 (as of 2026-10-16)

Market cap

$11,586,680,442

Average volume

2082501.0

Dividend

$0.361

Ex-dividend date

08/11/2026

Payment date

09/01/2026

Beta

0.62

Payout ratio

69.2%

P/E ratio

20.52

Forward P/E

16.7504

EPS

$1.99

How Dividend Vision calculates yield and returns

Distribution rate (3.54%) uses calculation basis unavailable. Issuer rates can use a different denominator and date, including ex-date NAV. Trailing-12-month yield (3.40%) is the sum of split-adjusted cash distributions with ex-dates in the last 12 months, divided by the published price. It lags a recent raise or cut. Total return uses split-adjusted close with distributions reinvested on the ex-dividend date (a modeling convention, not the cash-settlement date) from the first stored bar on or after inception through the latest bar, compared with the same window on the benchmark. That is the security's total return, not your personal gain/loss.

Yield and safety methodology · Distribution rate methodology · Distribution Safety Score methodology

Sources and review

Primary sources: prices and distributions from Dividend Vision, derived from vendor EOD data.

Reviewed by Bert Sweet, CEO and Co-owner of Dividend Vision. Methodology: Distribution Safety Score.

WTRG risks and drawbacks

WTRG's current distribution rate is moderate, not a high-yield payout — the strategy is dividend quality more than maximum income. Payments are quarterly, so cash flow is lumpy versus a monthly fund. The deepest 1-year drawdown on record here is 12.2%.

Who may consider WTRG — and who may not

WTRG may suit someone looking for a high Distribution Safety Score, moderate current income with a quality tilt. It is a weaker fit for investors who need monthly cash flow (WTRG pays quarterly); investors hunting double-digit covered-call yields. This is educational context, not a recommendation to buy or sell.

More on WTRG

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Tagged: Utilities, Dividend.

Frequently asked questions