PEG vs. WTRG: Public Service Enterprise vs. Essential Utilities Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Public Service Enterprise (PEG) and Essential Utilities (WTRG) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) and Essential Utilities (WTRG) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but PEG is classified in Multi-Utilities while WTRG is classified in Water Utilities.

Company profile comparison for Public Service Enterprise (PEG) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Profile Item	PEG	WTRG
Name	Public Service Enterprise Group Inc.	Essential Utilities Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Multi-Utilities	Water Utilities
GICS Sub-Industry	Multi-Utilities	Water Utilities
Market Capitalization	36.20 billion USD	13.02 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1980	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PEG

WTRG

GSPC

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Public Service Enterprise (PEG) and Essential Utilities (WTRG). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Public Service Enterprise (PEG) and Essential Utilities (WTRG). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Public Service Enterprise (PEG) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	PEG	WTRG
Total Return (1Y)	-6.86%	19.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	10.69%	13.95%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	7.38%	2.39%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PEG

WTRG

GSPC

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Public Service Enterprise (PEG) and Essential Utilities (WTRG). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Public Service Enterprise (PEG) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	PEG	WTRG
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	18.73%	22.14%
Beta (5Y)	0.47	0.61
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-27.29%	-36.53%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.44M	2.38M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

PEG and WTRG are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Public Service Enterprise (PEG) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	PEG	WTRG
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.60	0.67
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.82	1.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Public Service Enterprise (PEG) at 10.28% and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 8.13% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

PEG

Utilities industry group

10.28%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
PEG: 10.28%
Median: 9.44%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%

WTRG

Utilities industry group

8.13%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
Median: 9.44%
WTRG: 8.13%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 21.79% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Public Service Enterprise (PEG) at 14.32%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

PEG

Utilities industry group

14.32%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
PEG: 14.32%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
Min: -0.20%

WTRG

Utilities industry group

21.79%

Max: 28.78%
WTRG: 21.79%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
Min: -0.20%

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 38.94% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Public Service Enterprise (PEG) at 21.29%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

PEG

Utilities industry group

21.29%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
PEG: 21.29%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

WTRG

Utilities industry group

38.94%

Max: 53.83%
WTRG: 38.94%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Public Service Enterprise (PEG) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	PEG	WTRG
ROE (TTM)	10.28%	8.13%
ROA (TTM)	2.93%	3.00%
Net Margin (TTM)	14.32%	21.79%
Operating Margin (TTM)	21.29%	38.94%
Gross Margin (TTM)	32.12%	57.07%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Public Service Enterprise (PEG) at 18.25% and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 18.62% sit in the top peer quartile for revenue growth, so each is growing its top line faster than typical industry peers.

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Public Service Enterprise (PEG) at 19.21% and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 1.38% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Public Service Enterprise (PEG) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	PEG	WTRG
Revenue Growth (YoY)	18.25%	18.62%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.48%	2.65%
EPS Growth (YoY)	19.21%	1.38%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	27.05%	7.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) at 1.01 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 0.40 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for WTRG.

PEG

Utilities industry group

1.01

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
PEG: 1.01
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
Min: 0.29

WTRG

Utilities industry group

0.40

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
WTRG: 0.40
Min: 0.29

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Public Service Enterprise (PEG) at 1.48 and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 1.23 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

PEG

Utilities industry group

1.48

Max: 2.63
Q3: 1.77
PEG: 1.48
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

WTRG

Utilities industry group

1.23

Max: 2.63
Q3: 1.77
Median: 1.35
WTRG: 1.23
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Public Service Enterprise (PEG) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	PEG	WTRG
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.01	0.40
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.48	1.23
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.86	6.30

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) at 3.61% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 3.01% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, PEG the richer one.

PEG

Utilities industry group

3.61%

Max: 6.66%
PEG: 3.61%
Q3: 3.58%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

WTRG

Utilities industry group

3.01%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
WTRG: 3.01%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Public Service Enterprise (PEG) at 74.58% and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 69.42% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

PEG

Utilities industry group

74.58%

Max: 113.04%
PEG: 74.58%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
Min: 0.00%

WTRG

Utilities industry group

69.42%

Max: 113.04%
WTRG: 69.42%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
Min: 0.00%

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Public Service Enterprise (PEG) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	PEG	WTRG
Dividend Yield (TTM)	3.61%	3.01%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	74.58%	69.42%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Public Service Enterprise (PEG) at 20.51 and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 22.73 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

PEG

Utilities industry group

20.51

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
PEG: 20.51
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

WTRG

Utilities industry group

22.73

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
WTRG: 22.73
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) at 2.93 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 5.01 sits in the pricier quartile — WTRG costs more per dollar of sales.

PEG

Utilities industry group

2.93

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
PEG: 2.93
Median: 2.63
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

WTRG

Utilities industry group

5.01

Max: 6.35
WTRG: 5.01
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Public Service Enterprise (PEG) at 2.08 and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 1.83 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

PEG

Utilities industry group

2.08

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
PEG: 2.08
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

WTRG

Utilities industry group

1.83

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
WTRG: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Public Service Enterprise (PEG) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	PEG	WTRG
P/E Ratio (TTM)	20.51	22.73
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.93	5.01
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.08	1.83
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-0.90%	-5.45%