SRE vs. WTRG: Sempra vs. Essential Utilities Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Sempra (SRE) 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

Sempra (SRE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but SRE is classified in Multi-Utilities while WTRG is classified in Water Utilities.

Company profile comparison for Sempra (SRE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Profile Item	SRE	WTRG
Name	Sempra	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	51.13 billion USD	13.02 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	June 29, 1998	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

SRE

WTRG

GSPC

Sempra (SRE) 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 Sempra (SRE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Sempra (SRE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	SRE	WTRG
Total Return (1Y)	-13.10%	19.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	7.68%	13.95%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	8.14%	2.39%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

SRE

WTRG

GSPC

Sempra (SRE) 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 Sempra (SRE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Sempra (SRE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	SRE	WTRG
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	21.00%	22.14%
Beta (5Y)	0.57	0.61
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-31.62%	-36.53%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.90M	2.38M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

SRE 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 Sempra (SRE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	SRE	WTRG
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.83	0.67
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-1.07	1.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Sempra (SRE) at 8.73% 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.

SRE

Utilities industry group

8.73%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
Median: 9.44%
SRE: 8.73%
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%

Sempra (SRE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Sempra (SRE) at 22.53% and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 21.79% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

SRE

Utilities industry group

22.53%

Max: 28.78%
SRE: 22.53%
Q3: 17.30%
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%

Sempra (SRE) 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 Sempra (SRE) at 21.06%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

SRE

Utilities industry group

21.06%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
SRE: 21.06%
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%

Sempra (SRE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Sempra (SRE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	SRE	WTRG
ROE (TTM)	8.73%	8.13%
ROA (TTM)	1.99%	3.00%
Net Margin (TTM)	22.53%	21.79%
Operating Margin (TTM)	21.06%	38.94%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.81%	57.07%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 18.62% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Sempra (SRE) at 3.92% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for WTRG.

Sempra (SRE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 1.38% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Sempra (SRE) at -37.78% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Sempra (SRE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Sempra (SRE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	SRE	WTRG
Revenue Growth (YoY)	3.92%	18.62%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-1.73%	2.65%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-37.78%	1.38%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-5.99%	7.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Sempra (SRE) at 1.61 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 0.40 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

SRE

Utilities industry group

1.61

Max: 1.90
SRE: 1.61
Q3: 1.17
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

Sempra (SRE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Sempra (SRE) at 0.85 and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 1.23 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

SRE

Utilities industry group

0.85

Max: 2.63
Q3: 1.77
Median: 1.35
SRE: 0.85
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

Sempra (SRE) 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 Sempra (SRE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	SRE	WTRG
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.61	0.40
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.85	1.23
Net Debt / EBITDA	6.18	6.30

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Sempra (SRE) at 3.27% and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 3.01% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

SRE

Utilities industry group

3.27%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
SRE: 3.27%
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%

Sempra (SRE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Sempra (SRE) at 56.05% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 69.42% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

SRE

Utilities industry group

56.05%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
SRE: 56.05%
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%

Sempra (SRE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Sempra (SRE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	SRE	WTRG
Dividend Yield (TTM)	3.27%	3.01%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	56.05%	69.42%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Sempra (SRE) at 16.74 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.

SRE

Utilities industry group

16.74

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
Median: 19.64
SRE: 16.74
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

Sempra (SRE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Sempra (SRE) at 3.76 and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 5.01 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

SRE

Utilities industry group

3.76

Max: 6.35
SRE: 3.76
Q3: 3.63
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

Sempra (SRE) 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 Sempra (SRE) at 1.53 and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 1.83 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

SRE

Utilities industry group

1.53

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
SRE: 1.53
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

Sempra (SRE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Sempra (SRE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	SRE	WTRG
P/E Ratio (TTM)	16.74	22.73
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.76	5.01
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.53	1.83
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-22.35%	-5.45%