Essential Utilities is a Pennsylvania-based holding company for US water, wastewater, and natural gas distribution utilities. The company's water business serves 3 million people in eight states. Its largest service territory is in Pennsylvania, primarily suburban Philadelphia. Its Peoples subsidiary serves more than 740,000 gas distribution customers in Pennsylvania and Kentucky. It completed the sale of its West Virginia gas utility and the bulk of its nonregulated assets in 2024.

Essential Utilities is a Pennsylvania-based holding company for US water, wastewater, and natural gas distribution utilities. The company's water business serves 3 million people in eight states. Its largest service territory is in Pennsylvania, primarily suburban Philadelphia. Its Peoples subsidiary serves more than 740,000 gas distribution customers in Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Essential also owns nonregulated market-based water and energy services businesses.

Despite bursts of outperformance, small- and mid-cap stocks (SMID) have underperformed large-caps year to date -- as they have over the past five years. But they may be in a better position to generate market-beating returns going forward. For one thing, SMID companies tend to focus on domestic markets, so their businesses could be less disrupted by the trade and tariff debate, or fallout from unrest in the Middle East, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, issues in China, or other geopolitical developments. As well, the prices of SMID stocks generally are lower than the prices of large-caps. Finally, there are long stretches in the record books when SMID stocks have outperformed large-caps. SMID stocks can be risky, but despite those risks, diversified investors look to have exposure to small- and mid-caps based on the long-term performance record. We estimate that 20% of the U.S. stock market's capitalization is comprised of SMID stocks.

Essential Utilities Inc., formerly Aqua America, Inc., operates regulated utilities that provide water, wastewater, and natural gas services in the United States, with subsidiaries serving approximately six million people in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia. In addition to its water/wastewater utilities, the company purchased the Peoples natural gas distribution utility in March 2020. Headquartered in Pennsylvania, WTRG is the one of the largest regulated water utilities in the U.S. and has been in operation for over 135 years. The company has over 3,200 employees. The shares are a component of the S&P 400 Midcap Index.