Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. ES scored 55.7, WTRG scored 63.8 — WTRG leads.
Compare another set
ES
Eversource Energy
Utilities - Regulated Electric · Quality-Growth
55.7
$65.73 · $24.8B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
8.1
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 growthWTRG+9.9%
Strongest balance sheetWTRG1.22
Highest qualityWTRG57 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
ES
stronger →← stronger
WTRG
52
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
57
56
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
66
59
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
68
WTRG is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
ES
WTRG
$298mC
FCF
-$1.0bF
+7.8%B
Rev
+9.9%B
1.81C+
D/E
1.22B+
17.0xA-
P/E
—
2.25C
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
ES
WTRG
283% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
—
~40%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
—
-75%
1-yr DCF upside
—
-74%
5-yr DCF upside
—
-72%
10-yr DCF upside
—
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
ES
No notable signals flagged.
WTRG
Why this score
Raising its dividend
The companies
ESEversource Energy
Utilities - Regulated Electric · $65.73 · beta 0.68
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Electric · market cap $24.8b. 14% off the 52-week high of $76.57. 12 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $73.33 (implying +12% upside).
Moat
Moat signals from the quantitative card are modest — profitability and capital efficiency are middle-of-pack. The thesis here depends on softer factors (switching costs, brand, distribution, regulatory protection) not captured by the quality-growth screen.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
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 ES and WTRG diverge
On the headline score the gap is 8.1 points in favor of WTRG. The widest single difference is Growth, where WTRG leads by 10.3 points.
GrowthES 56.2 · WTRG 66.5WTRG +10.3
ValueES 59.2 · WTRG 68.2WTRG +9.0
QualityES 51.9 · WTRG 57.3WTRG +5.4
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 ES the better stock?
WTRG scores higher: WTRG 63.8, ES 55.7 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 ES differ most?
The widest gap is growth, where WTRG leads by 10 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 ES 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.