Essential Utilities (WTRG) Return on Capital Employed (2010 - 2026)
Essential Utilities (WTRG) reported Return on Capital Employed of 0.54% for Q1 2026, down 443.0% year-over-year from 0.16% in Q1 2025, and down 24.0% on a QoQ basis from 0.71% in Q4 2025.
Essential Utilities (WTRG) has 17 years of Return on Capital Employed data on file, last reported at 0.54% in Q1 2026.
- Quarterly Return on Capital Employed fell 443.0% year-over-year to 0.54% in Q1 2026, while the trailing twelve-month figure through Mar 2026 was 0.54% (down 443.0% YoY) and the FY2025 annual result came in at 0.72%, down 388.0% from the prior year.
- Return on Capital Employed declined to 0.54% in Q1 2026 per WTRG's latest filing, from 0.71% in the prior quarter.
- Across five years, Return on Capital Employed topped out at 5.12% in Q3 2025 and bottomed at 0.54% in Q1 2026.
- The 5-year median for Return on Capital Employed is 4.4% (2023), against an average of 4.04%.
- The widest annual swing landed in 2025, when Return on Capital Employed surged 92 bps; it then sank 443 bps in 2026.
- Tracing WTRG's Return on Capital Employed over 5 years: stood at 4.57% in 2022, then dropped by 4 bps to 4.37% in 2023, then gained by 3 bps to 4.5% in 2024, then sank by 84 bps to 0.71% in 2025, then dropped by 24 bps to 0.54% in 2026.
- Per Business Quant, the three latest WTRG Return on Capital Employed figures stand at 0.54% (Q1 2026), 0.71% (Q4 2025), and 5.12% (Q3 2025).
Peer Comparison
| # | Company | Market Cap | Enterprise Value | Gross Profit (Qtr) | ROCE (Qtr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Water Works Company | 24.16 Bn | 24.02 Bn | 714.00 Mn | 6.08% |
| 2 | Aris Mining | 20.33 Bn | 19.86 Bn | 233.28 Mn | - |
| 3 | Essential Utilities | 10.48 Bn | 10.40 Bn | 685.96 Mn | 0.54% |
| 4 | American States Water | 2.94 Bn | 2.93 Bn | 104.19 Mn | 8.10% |
| 5 | California Water Service | 2.58 Bn | 2.48 Bn | 183.34 Mn | 3.21% |
| 6 | H2O America | 2.18 Bn | 2.03 Bn | 171.30 Mn | 3.52% |
| 7 | Middlesex Water | 959.61 Mn | 957.57 Mn | 25.70 Mn | 4.45% |
| 8 | Consolidated Water | 465.28 Mn | 344.14 Mn | 10.92 Mn | 1.44% |
| 9 | York Water | 430.12 Mn | 430.12 Mn | 13.98 Mn | 0.62% |
| 10 | Artesian Resources | 332.86 Mn | 328.60 Mn | 26.56 Mn | 3.42% |
Historic Data
Download Data| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2026 | 0.54% |
| Dec 31, 2025 | 0.71% |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 5.12% |
| Jun 30, 2025 | 5.08% |
| Mar 31, 2025 | 4.97% |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 4.50% |
| Sep 30, 2024 | 4.22% |
| Jun 30, 2024 | 4.16% |
| Mar 31, 2024 | 4.29% |
| Dec 31, 2023 | 4.37% |
| Sep 30, 2023 | 4.48% |
| Jun 30, 2023 | 4.45% |
| Mar 31, 2023 | 4.40% |
| Dec 31, 2022 | 4.57% |
| Sep 30, 2022 | 4.41% |
| Jun 30, 2022 | 4.21% |
| Mar 31, 2022 | 4.24% |
| Dec 31, 2021 | 4.38% |
| Sep 30, 2021 | 4.39% |
| Jun 30, 2021 | 4.47% |
| Mar 31, 2021 | 4.48% |
| Dec 31, 2020 | 3.36% |
| Sep 30, 2020 | 3.09% |
| Jun 30, 2020 | 3.10% |
| Mar 31, 2020 | 3.36% |
| Dec 31, 2019 | 3.77% |
| Sep 30, 2019 | 3.57% |
| Jun 30, 2019 | 4.08% |
| Mar 31, 2019 | 4.88% |
| Dec 31, 2018 | 5.00% |
| Sep 30, 2018 | 5.31% |
| Jun 30, 2018 | 5.34% |
| Mar 31, 2018 | 5.44% |
| Dec 31, 2017 | 5.43% |
| Sep 30, 2017 | 5.28% |
| Jun 30, 2017 | 5.47% |
| Mar 31, 2017 | 5.48% |
| Dec 31, 2016 | 5.62% |
| Sep 30, 2016 | 5.73% |
| Jun 30, 2016 | 5.72% |
| Mar 31, 2016 | 5.76% |
| Dec 31, 2015 | 5.82% |
| Sep 30, 2015 | 5.87% |
| Jun 30, 2015 | 5.98% |
| Mar 31, 2015 | 6.10% |
| Dec 31, 2014 | 6.14% |
| Sep 30, 2014 | 6.19% |
| Jun 30, 2014 | 6.20% |
| Mar 31, 2014 | 6.26% |
| Dec 31, 2013 | 6.32% |
| Sep 30, 2013 | 6.49% |
| Jun 30, 2013 | 6.93% |
| Mar 31, 2013 | 7.18% |
| Dec 31, 2012 | 7.33% |
| Sep 30, 2012 | 7.56% |
| Jun 30, 2012 | 7.20% |
| Mar 31, 2012 | 7.07% |
| Dec 31, 2011 | 7.31% |
| Sep 30, 2011 | 7.40% |
| Jun 30, 2011 | 7.19% |
| Mar 31, 2011 | 6.93% |
| Dec 31, 2010 | 7.09% |
| Sep 30, 2010 | 6.76% |