Is WTRG or BEN a better dividend investment in 2026?

WTRG currently yields 3.30% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. BEN yields 5.63% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: BEN offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between WTRG and BEN?

WTRG has a forward dividend yield of 3.30% ($1.35/share annually). BEN yields 5.63% ($1.29/share annually). The yield gap is 2.33 percentage points.

Home › Compare › WTRG vs BEN

WTRG vs BEN: Dividend Comparison 2026

WTRG yields 3.30% · BEN yields 5.63%● Live data

vsPost on X →

After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled

🏆 WTRG wins by $75.5K in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 6

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

WTRG

● Live price

3.30%

Share price

$41.05

Annual div

$1.35

5Y div CAGR

43.4%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$140.7K

Annual income

$53,649.05

Full WTRG calculator →

BEN

● Live price

5.63%

Share price

$22.91

Annual div

$1.29

5Y div CAGR

22.6%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$65.2K

Annual income

$11,735.62

Full BEN calculator →

Portfolio growth — WTRG vs BEN

📍 WTRG pulled ahead of the other in Year 6

Annual dividend income

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Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

How each stock treated shareholders during the 3 biggest crises of the last 20 years

Crisis Period	WTRG	BEN
2008–2009 GFC	— No data	— No data
2020 Q1–Q2 COVID	— No data	— No data
2022 Q4 Rate Hike	— No data	— No data

Based on dividend payment history. "Increased" = dividend grew during crisis. "Maintained" = held within 3%. "Cut" = reduced by more than 3%.

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Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, WTRG + BEN cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

WTRG pays

BEN pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

Which stock is actually better after tax? Adjust your rate to find out.

WTRG

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$280.22/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$45,601.69/yr

BEN

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$478.61/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$9,975.28/yr

At 15% tax rate, WTRG beats the other by $35,626.42/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

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Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of WTRG + BEN for your $10,000?

WTRG: 50%BEN: 50%

100% BEN50/50100% WTRG

Portfolio after 10yr

$102.9K

Annual income

$32,692.33/yr

Blended yield

31.76%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on WTRG right now

WTRG

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Buy

Price Target

$42.25

+2.9% upside vs current

Range: $38.00 — $45.00

Altman Z

1.0

Piotroski

6/9

BEN

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Hold

Price Target

$23.50

+2.6% upside vs current

Range: $22.00 — $25.00

Altman Z

1.4

Piotroski

7/9

Analyst ratings via FMP. Altman Z-Score: >3.0 safe, 1.81–3.0 grey zone, <1.81 distress. Piotroski: 7–9 strong, 0–3 weak.

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Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

WTRG buys

BEN buys

Politician	Chamber	Ticker	Type	Amount	Date
Lisa McClain	🏢 House	$WTRG	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-09-25
Dan Newhouse	🏢 House	$WTRG	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-04-11
Michael Patrick Guest	🏢 House	$WTRG	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2023-01-11
Susie Lee	🏢 House	$WTRG	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2020-06-04
Susie Lee	🏢 House	$WTRG	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2020-04-27
Angus King	🏛 Senate	$WTRG	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2020-03-05

STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →

MetricWTRGBEN

Forward yield	3.30%	5.63% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$1.35 ✓	$1.29
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	43.4% ✓	22.6%
Portfolio after 10y	$140.7K ✓	$65.2K
Annual income after 10y	$53,649.05 ✓	$11,735.62
Total dividends collected	$110.9K ✓	$38.7K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	Stock
Analyst consensus	Buy	Hold
Analyst price target	$42.25 ✓	$23.50

Year-by-year: WTRG vs BEN ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	WTRG Portfolio	WTRG Income/yr	BEN Portfolio	BEN Income/yr	Gap
1	$11,173	$472.75	$11,390	$690.33	$217.00 → BEN
2	$12,663	$707.87	$13,089	$900.94	$426.00 → BEN
3	$14,624	$1,075.20	$15,191	$1,186.21	$567.00 → BEN
4	$17,312	$1,664.18	$17,832	$1,577.47	$520.00 → BEN
5	$21,164	$2,640.24	$21,202	$2,121.67	$38.00 → BEN
6← crossover	$26,972	$4,325.74	$25,576	$2,890.42	+$1.4K → WTRG
7	$36,248	$7,388.01	$31,362	$3,995.15	+$4.9K → WTRG
8	$52,091	$13,306.57	$39,170	$5,613.10	+$12.9K → WTRG
9	$81,366	$25,628.28	$49,945	$8,032.75	+$31.4K → WTRG
10	$140,711	$53,649.05	$65,177	$11,735.62	+$75.5K → WTRG

WTRG vs BEN: Complete Analysis 2026

WTRG — Stock

Essential Utilities, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates regulated utilities that provide water, wastewater, or natural gas services in the United States. It offers water services through operating and maintenance contract with municipal authorities and other parties. The company also provides non-utility raw water supply services for firms in the natural gas drilling industry; and water and sewer line protection solutions, and repair services to households through a third-party. It serves approximately 7.5 million residential water, commercial water, fire protection, industrial water, wastewater, and other water and utility customers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky under the Aqua and Peoples brands. The company was formerly known as Aqua America, Inc. and changed its name to Essential Utilities, Inc. in February 2020. Essential Utilities, Inc. was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Full WTRG Calculator →

BEN — Stock

Franklin Resources, Inc. is a publicly owned asset management holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the firm provides its services to individuals, institutions, pension plans, trusts, and partnerships. It launches equity, fixed income, balanced, and multi-asset mutual funds through its subsidiaries. The firm invests in the public equity, fixed income, and alternative markets. Franklin Resources, Inc. was founded in 1947 and is based in San Mateo, California with an additional office in Hyderabad, India.

Full BEN Calculator →

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⚠️ Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Congressional trades sourced from SEC STOCK Act filings via FMP. Past performance does not guarantee future results.