Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. ELPC scored 59.4, WTRG scored 63.8 — WTRG leads.
Compare another set
ELPC
Companhia Paranaense de Energia
Utilities - Regulated Electric · Quality-Growth
59.4
$14.19 · $10.5B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
4.4
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
Fastest growthELPC+15.3%
Strongest balance sheetELPC0.98
Highest qualityWTRG57 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
ELPC
stronger →← stronger
WTRG
45
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
57
82
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
66
79
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
68
ELPC is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
ELPC
WTRG
$366mC
FCF
-$1.0bF
+15.3%B+
Rev
+9.9%B
0.98A-
D/E
1.22B+
17.5xB+
P/E
—
0.61A-
PEG
3.45D
—
P/S
4.3xC
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.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
ELPC
WTRG
51% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
—
~21%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
—
-43%
1-yr DCF upside
—
-34%
5-yr DCF upside
—
-18%
10-yr DCF upside
—
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
ELPC
Why this score
Short track record
Foreign reporter (BRL)
WTRG
Why this score
Raising its dividend
The companies
ELPCCompanhia Paranaense de Energia
Utilities - Regulated Electric · $14.19 · beta 0.29
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Electric · market cap $10.5b. Trading near 52-week high of $14.51 — momentum setup, limited technical margin of safety. Revenue growing +15%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.61 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 3 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $17.00 (implying +20% upside).
Moat
ROE 13% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere.
Risk
Trading within 2% of the 52-week high — limited technical margin of safety; a momentum reversal would test conviction.
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 ELPC and WTRG diverge
On the headline score the gap is 4.4 points in favor of WTRG. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
GrowthELPC 81.7 · WTRG 66.5ELPC +15.2
QualityELPC 44.6 · WTRG 57.3WTRG +12.7
ValueELPC 78.7 · WTRG 68.2ELPC +10.5
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 ELPC the better stock?
WTRG scores higher: WTRG 63.8, ELPC 59.4 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 ELPC differ most?
The widest gap is growth, where ELPC leads by 15 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are WTRG and ELPC 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.