HTO vs WTRG: Correlation
H2O America (HTO) and Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) show a strong relationship: their 3-year correlation of weekly returns is 0.71.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are HTO and WTRG?
On 3 years of weekly data the HTO/WTRG correlation comes out at 0.71, strong. The past 12 months show a weaker link (0.52) than the 3-year average (0.71). The 5-year figure is 0.71, and annualized covariance runs at 336.4 %².
Within HTO's tracked universe of 13 assets, WTRG comes in at #5 by 3-year correlation. The last year tells two different stories: HTO led by 22.3 percentage points, +27.9% for HTO against +5.6% for WTRG.
How is this computed?
Pearson correlation on weekly returns: ρ(A,B) = cov(rA, rB) / (σA · σB), over windows of 52, 156 and 260 weeks. Covariance is annualized (×52) and expressed in %². Full definitions on the methodology page.
HTO vs WTRG: side by side
| HTO (H2O America) | WTRG (Essential Utilities, Inc.) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +27.9% | +5.6% |
| 5-year return | +4.2% | -5.2% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 24.2% | 19.6% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.14 | -0.04 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -32.4% | -17.9% |
| Market cap | $2.6B | $11.5B |
| P/E (trailing) | 22.5 | 20.9 |
| Dividend yield | 2.70% | 3.36% |
| Sector / category | US Listed | US Listed |
Year-by-year returns
| Year | HTO | WTRG |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +13.4% | -8.9% |
| 2023 | -17.8% | -19.4% |
| 2024 | -22.6% | +0.5% |
| 2025 | +2.9% | +9.4% |
| 2026 | +31.8% | +8.7% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are HTO and WTRG good diversifiers for each other?
To a limited degree. At 0.71 the two still catch most of the same waves, so the pair smooths returns a little without insulating either from a shared selloff.
FAQ
What is the correlation between HTO and WTRG?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: 0.71 over 3 years, with 0.52 over the last year and 0.71 over 5 years.
Is WTRG a good diversifier for HTO?
To a limited degree. At 0.71 the two still catch most of the same waves, so the pair smooths returns a little without insulating either from a shared selloff.
What does a correlation of 0.71 mean?
A reading of 0.71 sits on a scale from −1 (opposite moves) through 0 (unrelated) to +1 (identical moves). Correlation captures direction, not magnitude or performance.
Use this data
$ curl https://www.pairbook.io/api/v1/pairs/hto-vs-wtrg.json
Embed this badge (it refreshes with the data), with attribution:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/hto-vs-wtrg/)
No key needed, free to use. Full endpoint list in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: HTO correlations · WTRG correlations
