York Water (YORW)
Market Price (12/4/2025): $32.45 | Market Cap: $467.7 MilSector: Utilities | Industry: Water Utilities
York Water (YORW)
Market Price (12/4/2025): $32.45Market Cap: $467.7 MilSector: UtilitiesIndustry: Water Utilities
Investment Highlights
Why It Matters
Which of these 2 stories sounds closer for this stock?
1. Generates cash flow
The stock generated 4% or more of the share price (called cash flow yield), and shows moderate 10-15% or more growth.
2. Riding a trend
Think Tesla during the pandemic of 2020 when EVs were riding a cultural high, or Nvidia in the current AI boom, or even Figma. These companies don’t have enough yield, or, enough growth, or both - however - they are riding a trend. They have momentum. These can be more volatile - they don’t have the floor of strong cash flow
| Attractive yieldTotal YieldTotal Yield = Earnings Yield + Dividend Yield, Earnings Yield = Net Income / Market Cap Dividend Yield = Total Dividends / Market Cap is 7.4%, Dividend Yield is 2.9%, ERPEquity Risk Premium (ERP) = Total Yield - Risk Free Rate, Reflects the premium above risk free assets offered by the investment. is 3.3% | Weak multi-year price returns2Y Excs Rtn is -60%, 3Y Excs Rtn is -96% | Debt is significantNet D/ENet Debt/Equity. Debt net of cash. Negative indicates net cash. Equity is taken as the Market Capitalization is 52% |
| Attractive operating marginsOp Mgn LTMOperating Margin = Operating Income / Revenue Reflects profitability before taxes and before impact of capital structure (interest payments). is 36% | Expensive valuation multiplesP/SPrice/Sales ratio is 5.7x | |
| Attractive cash flow generationCFO/Rev LTMCash Flow from Operations / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 41% | Not cash flow generativeFCF/Rev LTMFree Cash Flow / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is -28% | |
| Low stock price volatilityVol 12M is 23% | ||
| Megatrend and thematic driversMegatrends include Water Infrastructure. Themes include Water Treatment & Delivery, and Wastewater Management. |
| Attractive yieldTotal YieldTotal Yield = Earnings Yield + Dividend Yield, Earnings Yield = Net Income / Market Cap Dividend Yield = Total Dividends / Market Cap is 7.4%, Dividend Yield is 2.9%, ERPEquity Risk Premium (ERP) = Total Yield - Risk Free Rate, Reflects the premium above risk free assets offered by the investment. is 3.3% |
| Attractive operating marginsOp Mgn LTMOperating Margin = Operating Income / Revenue Reflects profitability before taxes and before impact of capital structure (interest payments). is 36% |
| Attractive cash flow generationCFO/Rev LTMCash Flow from Operations / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 41% |
| Low stock price volatilityVol 12M is 23% |
| Megatrend and thematic driversMegatrends include Water Infrastructure. Themes include Water Treatment & Delivery, and Wastewater Management. |
| Weak multi-year price returns2Y Excs Rtn is -60%, 3Y Excs Rtn is -96% |
| Debt is significantNet D/ENet Debt/Equity. Debt net of cash. Negative indicates net cash. Equity is taken as the Market Capitalization is 52% |
| Expensive valuation multiplesP/SPrice/Sales ratio is 5.7x |
| Not cash flow generativeFCF/Rev LTMFree Cash Flow / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is -28% |
Valuation, Metrics & Events
YORW Stock
Why The Stock Moved
Qualitative Assessment
AI Generated Analysis | Feedback
The York Water Company's (YORW) stock movement of 5.2% from August 31, 2025, to December 4, 2025, can be attributed to several key factors.
1. Positive Analyst Sentiment and Upgrade: Zacks upgraded York Water (YORW) to a "Buy" rating on September 8, 2025, driven by an upward trend in earnings estimates. This was further reinforced by articles, including one from The Motley Fool on December 3, 2025, highlighting YORW as a "screaming buy" due to its robust dividend history, regulated utility model, and growth initiatives.
2. Strong Third Quarter 2025 Earnings Per Share: On November 6, 2025, York Water reported adjusted earnings of $0.43 per share for the third quarter of 2025, exceeding the analyst forecast of $0.38 per share. This beat on profitability, despite a slight revenue miss, likely contributed positively to investor confidence.
Stock Movement Drivers
Return vs. Risk
Price Returns Compared
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Total [1] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Returns | |||||||
| YORW Return | 3% | 9% | -8% | -12% | -13% | 0% | -22% |
| Peers Return | 6% | 27% | -6% | 17% | -12% | 10% | 43% |
| S&P 500 Return | 16% | 27% | -19% | 24% | 23% | 16% | 112% |
Monthly Win Rates [3] | |||||||
| YORW Win Rate | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% | 42% | 50% | |
| Peers Win Rate | 58% | 62% | 47% | 52% | 42% | 48% | |
| S&P 500 Win Rate | 58% | 75% | 42% | 67% | 75% | 70% | |
Max Drawdowns [4] | |||||||
| YORW Max Drawdown | -22% | -12% | -24% | -20% | -13% | -8% | |
| Peers Max Drawdown | -26% | -9% | -28% | -21% | -20% | -7% | |
| S&P 500 Max Drawdown | -31% | -1% | -25% | -1% | -2% | -15% | |
[1] Cumulative total returns since the beginning of 2020
[2] Peers: CWT, MSEX, CWCO, AWK, WTRG.
[3] Win Rate = % of calendar months in which monthly returns were positive
[4] Max drawdown represents maximum peak-to-trough decline within a year
[5] 2025 data is for the year up to 12/3/2025 (YTD)
How Low Can It Go
| Event | YORW | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Inflation Shock | ||
| % Loss | -33.8% | -25.4% |
| % Gain to Breakeven | 51.2% | 34.1% |
| Time to Breakeven | Not Fully Recovered days | 464 days |
| 2020 Covid Pandemic | ||
| % Loss | -28.2% | -33.9% |
| % Gain to Breakeven | 39.3% | 51.3% |
| Time to Breakeven | 123 days | 148 days |
| 2018 Correction | ||
| % Loss | -29.1% | -19.8% |
| % Gain to Breakeven | 41.1% | 24.7% |
| Time to Breakeven | 565 days | 120 days |
| 2008 Global Financial Crisis | ||
| % Loss | -46.1% | -56.8% |
| % Gain to Breakeven | 85.4% | 131.3% |
| Time to Breakeven | 1297 days | 1480 days |
Compare to CWT, MSEX, CWCO, AWK, WTRG
In The Past
York Water's stock fell -33.8% during the 2022 Inflation Shock from a high on 9/2/2021. A -33.8% loss requires a 51.2% gain to breakeven.
Preserve Wealth
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Asset Allocation
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Latest Trefis Analyses
| Title | Topic | |
|---|---|---|
| DASHBOARDS | ||
| How Low Can York Water Stock Really Go? | Return |
| Title | |
|---|---|
| ARTICLES |
Trade Ideas
Select past ideas related to YORW. For more, see Trefis Trade Ideas.
| Date | Ticker | Company | Category | Trade Strategy | 6M Fwd Rtn | 12M Fwd Rtn | 12M Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11212025 | PEG | Public Service Enterprise | Monopoly | MY | Getting CheaperMonopoly-Like with P/S DeclineLarge cap with monopoly-like margins or cash flow generation and getting cheaper based on P/S multiple | -0.9% | -0.9% | -0.9% |
| 09262025 | PCG | PG&E | Dip Buy | DB | P/E OPMDip Buy with Low PE and High MarginBuying dips for companies with tame PE and meaningfully high operating margin | 1.9% | 1.9% | 0.0% |
| 09052025 | AES | AES | Dip Buy | DB | P/E OPMDip Buy with Low PE and High MarginBuying dips for companies with tame PE and meaningfully high operating margin | 7.4% | 7.4% | -3.2% |
| Date | Ticker | Company | Category | Trade Strategy | 6M Fwd Rtn | 12M Fwd Rtn | 12M Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11212025 | PEG | Public Service Enterprise | Monopoly | MY | Getting CheaperMonopoly-Like with P/S DeclineLarge cap with monopoly-like margins or cash flow generation and getting cheaper based on P/S multiple | -0.9% | -0.9% | -0.9% |
| 09262025 | PCG | PG&E | Dip Buy | DB | P/E OPMDip Buy with Low PE and High MarginBuying dips for companies with tame PE and meaningfully high operating margin | 1.9% | 1.9% | 0.0% |
| 09052025 | AES | AES | Dip Buy | DB | P/E OPMDip Buy with Low PE and High MarginBuying dips for companies with tame PE and meaningfully high operating margin | 7.4% | 7.4% | -3.2% |
Research & Analysis
Invest in Strategies
Wealth Management
Peer Comparisons for York Water
| Peers to compare with: |
Financials
| Median | |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| Mkt Price | 41.69 |
| Mkt Cap | 1.8 |
| Rev LTM | 599 |
| Op Inc LTM | 121 |
| FCF LTM | -106 |
| FCF 3Y Avg | -101 |
| CFO LTM | 194 |
| CFO 3Y Avg | 163 |
Growth & Margins
| Median | |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| Rev Chg LTM | 4.9% |
| Rev Chg 3Y Avg | 8.9% |
| Rev Chg Q | 3.7% |
| QoQ Delta Rev Chg LTM | 1.0% |
| Op Mgn LTM | 32.0% |
| Op Mgn 3Y Avg | 30.6% |
| QoQ Delta Op Mgn LTM | 0.0% |
| CFO/Rev LTM | 36.8% |
| CFO/Rev 3Y Avg | 35.4% |
| FCF/Rev LTM | -18.0% |
| FCF/Rev 3Y Avg | -19.2% |
Valuation
| Median | |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| Mkt Cap | 1.8 |
| P/S | 4.9 |
| P/EBIT | 14.2 |
| P/E | 22.3 |
| P/CFO | 13.6 |
| Total Yield | 7.1% |
| Dividend Yield | 2.6% |
| FCF Yield 3Y Avg | -3.9% |
| D/E | 0.5 |
| Net D/E | 0.5 |
Returns
| Median | |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| 1M Rtn | 3.0% |
| 3M Rtn | -0.7% |
| 6M Rtn | 0.6% |
| 12M Rtn | -2.4% |
| 3Y Rtn | -17.7% |
| 1M Excs Rtn | 3.1% |
| 3M Excs Rtn | -6.7% |
| 6M Excs Rtn | -14.1% |
| 12M Excs Rtn | -18.0% |
| 3Y Excs Rtn | -89.6% |
Segment Financials
Revenue by Segment
| $ Mil | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 46 | ||||
| Commercial and industrial | 20 | ||||
| Fire protection | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Rents from regulated property | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Billing and revenue collection services | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other revenue | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Collection services | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wastewater utility service Commercial and industrial | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wastewater utility service Residential | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| Water utility service Commercial and industrial | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | |
| Water utility service Residential | 35 | 34 | 34 | 32 | |
| Total | 71 | 60 | 55 | 54 | 52 |
Returns Analyses
SEC Filings
Expand for More| Report Date | Filing Date | Filing |
|---|---|---|
| 9302025 | 11062025 | 10-Q 9/30/2025 |
| 6302025 | 8122025 | 10-Q 6/30/2025 |
| 3312025 | 5062025 | 10-Q 3/31/2025 |
| 12312024 | 3042025 | 10-K 12/31/2024 |
| 9302024 | 11072024 | 10-Q 9/30/2024 |
| 6302024 | 8022024 | 10-Q 6/30/2024 |
| 3312024 | 5072024 | 10-Q 3/31/2024 |
| 12312023 | 3052024 | 10-K 12/31/2023 |
| 9302023 | 11032023 | 10-Q 9/30/2023 |
| 6302023 | 8032023 | 10-Q 6/30/2023 |
| 3312023 | 5022023 | 10-Q 3/31/2023 |
| 12312022 | 3072023 | 10-K 12/31/2022 |
| 9302022 | 11032022 | 10-Q 9/30/2022 |
| 6302022 | 8042022 | 10-Q 6/30/2022 |
| 3312022 | 5032022 | 10-Q 3/31/2022 |
| 12312021 | 3082022 | 10-K 12/31/2021 |
External Quote Links
| Y Finance | Barrons |
| TradingView | Morningstar |
| SeekingAlpha | ValueLine |
| Motley Fool | Robinhood |
| CNBC | Etrade |
| MarketWatch | Unusual Whales |
| YCharts | Perplexity Finance |
| FinViz |