Health score, competitive moat, risk signals, and key metrics at a glance.
Essential Utilities, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates regulated utilities that provide water, wastewater, and natural gas services in the United States. The company operates through Regulated Water; and Regulated Natural Gas segments. It also provides utility service line protection solutions and repair services to households; gas marketing and production activities; and natural gas distribution services. The company serves approximately 5.5 million residential water, commercial water, fire protection, industrial water, wastewater, and other water and utility customers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, Indiana, Virginia, and Kentucky under the Aqua and Peoples brands. The company was formerly known as Aqua America, Inc. and changed its name to Essential Utilities, Inc. in February 2020. Essential Utilities, Inc. was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
Competitive analysis based on 63 quarters of fundamental data
Operating margins are positive at ~36.2% on average, but show some variability — pricing power may be sensitive to market conditions.
ROE is positive at ~9.2% on average, adequate but below the threshold typically associated with wide moats.
Only 1 of the last 8 quarters had positive FCF — the business may require external capital to sustain operations.
TTM revenue has grown consistently (7 of 7 quarters up), with ~31.8% growth over the period. Strong demand durability.
Data-driven red flags and warnings across 63 quarters
Operating margins declined 6.5% — watch for continued compression, which may signal competitive or cost pressure.
Free cash flow has been negative in 7 of the last 8 quarters — earnings are not translating to cash.
D/E ratio is 1.2 — conservative capital structure with low financial risk.
Revenue is stable or growing over recent quarters — demand appears durable.
The last 4 consecutive quarters had negative FCF — the company is burning cash and may need external funding.
Shares outstanding rose 3.5% — mild dilution. Compare to earnings growth to assess net per-share impact.
as of March 2026
Revenue, EBITDA, operating income, net income, EPS, and shares
Gross, EBITDA, operating, and net margin trends
P/E, P/S, P/B, EV/EBITDA, FCF yield, and earnings yield
Total assets, cash, debt, book value, and leverage
Operating cash flow, free cash flow, FCF margin, and earnings quality
