Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. CWT scored 43.1, WTRG scored 63.8 — WTRG leads.
Compare another set
CWT
California Water Service Group
Utilities - Regulated Water · Quality-Growth
43.1
$45.94 · $2.8B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
20.7
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
CheapestCWT2.7x
Fastest growthWTRG+9.9%
Strongest balance sheetCWT0.93
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)
CWT
stronger →← stronger
WTRG
45
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
57
40
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
66
44
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
68
WTRG is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
CWT
WTRG
-$236mF
FCF
-$1.0bF
-3.5%D+
Rev
+9.9%B
0.93A-
D/E
1.22B+
2.7xB
P/S
4.3xC
2.22C
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
CWT
Why this score
Raising its dividend
Diluting shareholders
WTRG
Why this score
Raising its dividend
The companies
CWTCalifornia Water Service Group
Utilities - Regulated Water · $45.94 · beta 0.48
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Water · market cap $2.8b. 15% off the 52-week high of $53.82. 4 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $53.75 (implying +17% upside).
Moat
Net margin 13% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$236m) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk. ROE 8% is below the long-run sustainable threshold of ~10% — capital efficiency would need to improve for the equity base to compound at the market rate.
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 CWT and WTRG diverge
On the headline score the gap is 20.7 points in favor of WTRG. The widest single difference is Growth, where WTRG leads by 26.7 points.
GrowthCWT 39.8 · WTRG 66.5WTRG +26.7
ValueCWT 44.3 · WTRG 68.2WTRG +23.9
QualityCWT 45.3 · WTRG 57.3WTRG +12.0
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 CWT the better stock?
WTRG scores higher: WTRG 63.8, CWT 43.1 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 CWT differ most?
The widest gap is growth, where WTRG leads by 27 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 CWT 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.