Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. AWK scored 55.2, WTRG scored 63.8 — WTRG leads.
Compare another set
AWK
American Water Works Company, Inc.
Utilities - Regulated Water · Quality-Growth
55.2
$128.88 · $25.6B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
8.6
WTRG leads
WTRG
Essential Utilities, Inc.
Utilities - Regulated Water · Quality-Growth
63.8
$38.98 · $11.1B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestWTRG4.3x
Fastest growthWTRG+9.9%
Strongest balance sheetWTRG1.22
Highest qualityWTRG57 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/S multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
AWK
stronger →← stronger
WTRG
53
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
57
62
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
66
51
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
68
WTRG is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
AWK
WTRG
-$1.0bF
FCF
-$1.0bF
+7.3%B
Rev
+9.9%B
1.38B
D/E
1.22B+
4.9xD
P/S
4.3xC
2.27C
PEG
3.45D
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Model signals
AWK
Why this score
Raising its dividend
WTRG
Why this score
Raising its dividend
The companies
AWKAmerican Water Works Company, Inc.
Utilities - Regulated Water · $128.88 · beta 0.57
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Water · market cap $25.6b. 12% off the 52-week high of $145.64. 11 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $141.45 (implying +10% upside).
Moat
Net margin 21% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$1.0b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk.
WTRGEssential Utilities, Inc.
Utilities - Regulated Water · $38.98 · beta 0.62
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Water · market cap $11.1b. 8% off the 52-week high of $42.51. 5 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $42.20 (implying +8% upside).
Moat
Net margin 41% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. ROE 15% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$1.0b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where AWK and WTRG diverge
On the headline score the gap is 8.6 points in favor of WTRG. The widest single difference is Value, where WTRG leads by 17.0 points.
ValueAWK 51.2 · WTRG 68.2WTRG +17.0
QualityAWK 52.8 · WTRG 57.3WTRG +4.5
GrowthAWK 62.2 · WTRG 66.5WTRG +4.3
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is WTRG or AWK the better stock?
WTRG scores higher: WTRG 63.8, AWK 55.2 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do WTRG and AWK differ most?
The widest gap is value, where WTRG leads by 17 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. WTRG leads all three pillars, so the gap is broad rather than a single-measure difference.
How are WTRG and AWK scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.