Essential Utilities (WTRG) Operating Margin (2009 - 2026)
Essential Utilities (WTRG) reported Operating Margin of 36.05% for Q1 2026, down 720.0% year-over-year from 5.81% in Q1 2025, and up 144.7% on a QoQ basis from 80.64% in Q4 2025.
Essential Utilities (WTRG) has 18 years of Operating Margin data on file, last reported at 36.05% in Q1 2026.
- Quarterly Operating Margin fell 720.0% year-over-year to 36.05% in Q1 2026, while the trailing twelve-month figure through Mar 2026 was 3.99% (down 3436.0% YoY) and the FY2025 annual result came in at 5.26%, down 3106.0% from the prior year.
- Operating Margin improved to 36.05% in Q1 2026 per WTRG's latest filing, from 80.64% in the prior quarter.
- Across five years, Operating Margin topped out at 43.25% in Q1 2025 and bottomed at 80.64% in Q4 2025.
- The 5-year median for Operating Margin is 35.55% (2023), against an average of 27.47%.
- The widest annual swing landed in 2023, when Operating Margin surged 1219 bps; it then plunged 11814 bps in 2025.
- Tracing WTRG's Operating Margin over 5 years: stood at 24.09% in 2022, then surged by 51 bps to 36.29% in 2023, then advanced by 3 bps to 37.5% in 2024, then sank by 315 bps to 80.64% in 2025, then soared by 145 bps to 36.05% in 2026.
- Per Business Quant, the three latest WTRG Operating Margin figures stand at 36.05% (Q1 2026), 80.64% (Q4 2025), and 35.59% (Q3 2025).
Peer Comparison
| # | Company | Market Cap | Enterprise Value | Gross Profit (Qtr) | Operating Margin (Qtr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Water Works Company | 24.16 Bn | 24.02 Bn | 714.00 Mn | 32.39% |
| 2 | Aris Mining | 20.33 Bn | 19.86 Bn | 233.28 Mn | 48.07% |
| 3 | Essential Utilities | 10.48 Bn | 10.40 Bn | 685.96 Mn | 36.05% |
| 4 | American States Water | 2.94 Bn | 2.93 Bn | 104.19 Mn | 40.91% |
| 5 | California Water Service | 2.58 Bn | 2.48 Bn | 183.34 Mn | 8.47% |
| 6 | H2O America | 2.18 Bn | 2.03 Bn | 171.30 Mn | 20.42% |
| 7 | Middlesex Water | 959.61 Mn | 957.57 Mn | 25.70 Mn | 26.90% |
| 8 | Consolidated Water | 465.28 Mn | 344.14 Mn | 10.92 Mn | 11.48% |
| 9 | York Water | 430.12 Mn | 430.12 Mn | 13.98 Mn | 31.81% |
| 10 | Artesian Resources | 332.86 Mn | 328.60 Mn | 26.56 Mn | 22.60% |
Historic Data
Download Data| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2026 | 36.05% |
| Dec 31, 2025 | -80.64% |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 35.59% |
| Jun 30, 2025 | 35.98% |
| Mar 31, 2025 | 43.25% |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 37.50% |
| Sep 30, 2024 | 35.63% |
| Jun 30, 2024 | 33.44% |
| Mar 31, 2024 | 37.69% |
| Dec 31, 2023 | 36.29% |
| Sep 30, 2023 | 33.41% |
| Jun 30, 2023 | 35.55% |
| Mar 31, 2023 | 31.04% |
| Dec 31, 2022 | 24.09% |
| Sep 30, 2022 | 28.96% |
| Jun 30, 2022 | 30.69% |
| Mar 31, 2022 | 32.55% |
| Dec 31, 2021 | 26.06% |
| Sep 30, 2021 | 28.04% |
| Jun 30, 2021 | 32.57% |
| Mar 31, 2021 | 39.82% |
| Dec 31, 2020 | 28.02% |
| Sep 30, 2020 | 30.18% |
| Jun 30, 2020 | 43.92% |
| Mar 31, 2020 | 28.76% |
| Dec 31, 2019 | 37.74% |
| Sep 30, 2019 | 43.70% |
| Jun 30, 2019 | 36.98% |
| Mar 31, 2019 | 33.53% |
| Dec 31, 2018 | 30.52% |
| Sep 30, 2018 | 46.12% |
| Jun 30, 2018 | 40.95% |
| Mar 31, 2018 | 35.68% |
| Dec 31, 2017 | 38.47% |
| Sep 30, 2017 | 45.92% |
| Jun 30, 2017 | 42.20% |
| Mar 31, 2017 | 37.88% |
| Dec 31, 2016 | 36.57% |
| Sep 30, 2016 | 43.16% |
| Jun 30, 2016 | 40.95% |
| Mar 31, 2016 | 37.55% |
| Dec 31, 2015 | 37.86% |
| Sep 30, 2015 | 43.01% |
| Jun 30, 2015 | 39.00% |
| Mar 31, 2015 | 37.39% |
| Dec 31, 2014 | 37.93% |
| Sep 30, 2014 | 45.15% |
| Jun 30, 2014 | 40.93% |
| Mar 31, 2014 | 36.55% |
| Dec 31, 2013 | 36.79% |
| Sep 30, 2013 | 42.58% |
| Jun 30, 2013 | 41.12% |
| Mar 31, 2013 | 37.49% |
| Dec 31, 2012 | 38.46% |
| Sep 30, 2012 | 46.86% |
| Jun 30, 2012 | 45.40% |
| Mar 31, 2012 | 37.70% |
| Dec 31, 2011 | 3,486.25% |
| Sep 30, 2011 | 4,748.19% |
| Jun 30, 2011 | 3,900.44% |
| Mar 31, 2011 | 37.58% |
| Dec 31, 2010 | 37.15% |
| Sep 30, 2010 | 43.10% |
| Jun 30, 2010 | 37.98% |
| Mar 31, 2010 | 32.92% |
| Dec 31, 2009 | 47.73% |
| Sep 30, 2009 | 39.52% |
| Jun 30, 2009 | 35.18% |