WTRG vs YORW: Correlation
How closely do Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) and The York Water Company (YORW) trade together? Their weekly returns over three years give a correlation of 0.69, which is strong.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are WTRG and YORW?
On 3 years of weekly data the WTRG/YORW correlation comes out at 0.69, strong. The link has loosened recently: the 1-year correlation (0.58) runs below the 3-year figure (0.69). The 5-year figure is 0.65, and annualized covariance runs at 275.7 %².
Among the 16 assets we track against WTRG, YORW ranks #5 by 3-year correlation. On 12-month performance YORW holds a 5.3-point edge, +5.6% against +10.9%.
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.
WTRG vs YORW: side by side
| WTRG (Essential Utilities, Inc.) | YORW (The York Water Company) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +5.6% | +10.9% |
| 5-year return | -5.2% | -26.0% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 19.6% | 20.5% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | -0.04 | 0.18 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -17.9% | -26.4% |
| Market cap | $11.5B | $0.5B |
| P/E (trailing) | 20.9 | 21.2 |
| Dividend yield | 3.36% | 2.64% |
| Sector / category | US Listed | US Listed |
Year-by-year returns
| Year | WTRG | YORW |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -8.9% | -7.9% |
| 2023 | -19.4% | -12.4% |
| 2024 | +0.5% | -13.2% |
| 2025 | +9.4% | +0.1% |
| 2026 | +8.7% | +7.4% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are WTRG and YORW good diversifiers for each other?
To a limited degree. At 0.69 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 WTRG and YORW?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: 0.69 over 3 years, with 0.58 over the last year and 0.65 over 5 years.
Is YORW a good diversifier for WTRG?
To a limited degree. At 0.69 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 0.69 mean?
A reading of 0.69 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/wtrg-vs-yorw.json
Embed this badge (it refreshes with the data), with attribution:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/wtrg-vs-yorw/)
The core API is free. Terms and every endpoint in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: WTRG correlations · YORW correlations
