Essential Utilities, Inc.: directors' dealings · United States · SEC (Form 4)

About Essential Utilities, Inc.

Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE: WTRG) is a U.S.-based regulated utility company headquartered in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. It sits squarely in the defensive utility universe and is one of the largest publicly traded providers of water, wastewater and natural gas services in the country. The investment case is built on essential services, predictable demand, regulated rate structures and a steady need for infrastructure spending. The company’s modern history was shaped by the 2020 combination of Aqua and Peoples, which created Essential Utilities as a unified platform. Under the Aqua brand, the group operates water and wastewater businesses, while the Peoples brand covers natural gas distribution. Today, Essential serves approximately 5 million people across 9 states in the United States, giving it a broad but still regionally concentrated footprint, with a strong presence in regulated markets in the Eastern U.S. and parts of the Midwest. Operationally, the business is organized into two core segments. The water segment provides drinking water distribution, wastewater treatment, network operations and related utility services to residential, commercial and institutional customers. The natural gas segment operates a large underground distribution network and delivers gas to retail customers, with an emphasis on service reliability, safety and the replacement of aging pipe infrastructure. Essential also highlights ongoing capital programs aimed at methane reduction, network modernization, and environmental compliance, including PFAS mitigation and lead service line replacement. From a competitive standpoint, Essential benefits from scale, recurring cash flow visibility and a long track record of regulated utility execution. Pennsylvania remains its most important market, but the company continues to expand its water footprint through tuck-in acquisitions of small regulated systems. Its revenue base is supported by rate cases and infrastructure riders that help recover invested capital over time, which is central to the utility model. A major recent development is the announced all-stock merger with American Water Works in 2025, which management framed as a transformative combination that would create a leading regulated U.S. water and wastewater utility. In spring 2026, the transaction advanced further when the Kentucky Public Service Commission granted approval, the first regulatory clearance in the process. For investors, Essential remains a high-quality, regulated infrastructure name listed on the NYSE in the United States, with a defensive profile, strong environmental exposure and continued capital intensity.