The free dividend tracker to help you grow your wealth. Link your brokerage accounts and MerryDiv automatically syncs your holdings and dividends.
Data last updated: Sep 06, 2026
Snapshot (as of Sep 06, 2026): Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) pays a $1.39 annual dividend ($0.36 quarterly), yielding 3.33% at $41.70/share. Next ex-dividend date 2026-08-11. 11 consecutive years of dividend growth. Source: Yahoo Finance, aggregated by MerryDiv.
Dividend Yield: 3.33%
Annual Dividend: $1.39 per share
Payout Ratio: 69.8%
Ex-Dividend Date: 2026-08-11
Dividend Frequency: quarterly
Sector: Utilities
Years of Dividend History: 42
Essential Utilities, Inc. dividend investors get exposure to a regulated water, wastewater, and natural gas utility serving roughly 7.5 million customers across ten states under the Aqua and Peoples brands. The current yield is 3.33%, with a trailing annual dividend rate of $1.3884 per share paid quarterly. The next ex-dividend date is August 11, 2026. With a beta of 0.632, WTRG stock moves well below the broader market, which suits income investors who prioritize low volatility over capital appreciation.
Essential Utilities, Inc. pays out 69.8% of earnings as dividends, a payout ratio classified as elevated (60–75%). That level is supported by the company's regulated utility model, which delivers water, wastewater, and natural gas services to approximately 7.5 million customers, a customer base that generates recurring demand regardless of economic conditions. Essential Utilities, Inc. dividend safety faces its primary pressure from that same elevated payout, which leaves limited room to absorb earnings shortfalls without affecting the dividend.
Over the past 14 years, Essential Utilities, Inc. has grown its dividend at 5.5% per year. Per-share payments rose from $0.6300 in 2011 to $1.3362 in 2025 (2026 is a partial year and excluded from this calculation). The largest annual increase in the window was 8.2% in 2015, while the Essential Utilities, Inc. dividend history also contains at least one year-over-year decline exceeding 5%, visible in the 2014 figure of $0.6340 against $0.6920 in 2013.
| Period | CAGR | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Year | +6.4% | $1.11 (2022) | $1.34 (2025) |
| 5-Year | +6.6% | $0.97 (2020) | $1.34 (2025) |
| 10-Year | +6.9% | $0.69 (2015) | $1.34 (2025) |
WTRG stock fits income-focused investors who want a regulated utility paying a moderate (2–4%) yield with a decade-plus of consecutive annual increases. At 3.33%, the current yield sits above the 5-year average of 2.85%, meaning buyers today lock in a higher income rate than the historical norm. The trade-off is a 69.8% payout ratio that sits at the upper end of the elevated range, leaving less cushion than lower-payout utilities. Eleven consecutive years of dividend increases show a commitment to growing income, but at 5.5% annually, growth is slow. The stock offers income and low market sensitivity, not rapid dividend acceleration.
| Payment Date | Amount per Share |
|---|---|
| 2026-08-11 | $0.3606 |
| 2026-05-12 | $0.3426 |
| 2026-02-09 | $0.3426 |
| 2025-11-12 | $0.3426 |
| 2025-08-12 | $0.3426 |
| 2025-05-13 | $0.3255 |
| 2025-02-10 | $0.3255 |
| 2024-11-12 | $0.3255 |
| 2024-08-12 | $0.3255 |
| 2024-05-09 | $0.3071 |
| Year | Total Dividends |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $1.0458 |
| 2025 | $1.3362 |
| 2024 | $1.2652 |
| 2023 | $1.1882 |
| 2022 | $1.1102 |
Project income from WTRG with the WTRG dividend calculator or track your full portfolio with the dividend tracker.