WEC vs. WTRG: WEC Energy vs. Essential Utilities Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do WEC Energy (WEC) 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

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

Company profile comparison for WEC Energy (WEC) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Profile Item	WEC	WTRG
Name	WEC Energy 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	38.12 billion USD	13.02 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

WEC

WTRG

GSPC

WEC Energy (WEC) 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 WEC Energy (WEC) and Essential Utilities (WTRG). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for WEC Energy (WEC) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	WEC	WTRG
Total Return (1Y)	7.80%	19.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	18.04%	13.95%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	9.22%	2.39%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

WEC

WTRG

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for WEC Energy (WEC) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	WEC	WTRG
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	17.21%	22.14%
Beta (5Y)	0.43	0.61
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-26.02%	-36.53%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.71M	2.38M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

WEC 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 WEC Energy (WEC) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	WEC	WTRG
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.20	0.67
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.31	1.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

WEC Energy (WEC) at 12.49% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 8.13% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for WEC.

WEC

Utilities industry group

12.49%

Max: 17.99%
WEC: 12.49%
Q3: 12.01%
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%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both WEC Energy (WEC) at 17.53% 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.

WEC

Utilities industry group

17.53%

Max: 28.78%
WEC: 17.53%
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%

WEC Energy (WEC) 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 WEC Energy (WEC) at 25.44%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

WEC

Utilities industry group

25.44%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
WEC: 25.44%
Median: 23.62%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for WEC Energy (WEC) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	WEC	WTRG
ROE (TTM)	12.49%	8.13%
ROA (TTM)	3.08%	3.00%
Net Margin (TTM)	17.53%	21.79%
Operating Margin (TTM)	25.44%	38.94%
Gross Margin (TTM)	42.36%	57.07%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both WEC Energy (WEC) at 13.96% 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.

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

EPS Growth

Both WEC Energy (WEC) at -0.41% 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.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for WEC Energy (WEC) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	WEC	WTRG
Revenue Growth (YoY)	13.96%	18.62%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	0.70%	2.65%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-0.41%	1.38%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	2.63%	7.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both WEC Energy (WEC) at 0.53 and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 0.40 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

WEC

Utilities industry group

0.53

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
WEC: 0.53
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both WEC Energy (WEC) at 1.54 and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 1.23 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

WEC

Utilities industry group

1.54

Max: 2.63
Q3: 1.77
WEC: 1.54
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

WEC Energy (WEC) 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 WEC Energy (WEC) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	WEC	WTRG
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.53	0.40
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.54	1.23
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.66	6.30

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both WEC Energy (WEC) at 3.17% and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 3.01% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

WEC

Utilities industry group

3.17%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
WEC: 3.17%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

WEC Energy (WEC) at 68.18% 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.

WEC

Utilities industry group

68.18%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
WEC: 68.18%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for WEC Energy (WEC) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	WEC	WTRG
Dividend Yield (TTM)	3.17%	3.01%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	68.18%	69.42%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both WEC Energy (WEC) at 21.07 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.

WEC

Utilities industry group

21.07

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
WEC: 21.07
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both WEC Energy (WEC) at 3.69 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.

WEC

Utilities industry group

3.69

Max: 6.35
WEC: 3.69
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

WEC Energy (WEC) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 1.83 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while WEC Energy (WEC) at 2.62 carries an above-peer premium to book — WEC is pricier on assets.

WEC

Utilities industry group

2.62

Max: 3.12
WEC: 2.62
Q3: 2.21
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for WEC Energy (WEC) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	WEC	WTRG
P/E Ratio (TTM)	21.07	22.73
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.69	5.01
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.62	1.83
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-5.16%	-5.45%