Sectors & IndustriesUtilitiesUtilities - Regulated Water

Best Water Stocks to Buy Now (2026)

Top water stocks in 2026 ranked by overall Zen Rating. "A" Rated stocks have returned an average of +32.52% per year, and are the best water stocks to buy now. Learn More.

According to Zen Ratings, our proprietary rating system that evaluates 115 factors proven to drive growth in stocks and assigns each stock in our system an overall letter grade as well as 7 individual Component Grades for Value, Growth, Momentum, Sentiment, Safety, Financials, and proprietary AI algorithms, the 3 best water utility stocks to buy right now are:

Consolidated Water Co (NASDAQ:CWCO) is the #1 top water stock out of 13 with a Zen Rating of B. Stocks with a rating of B have had an average return of +19.88% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Consolidated Water Co (NASDAQ:CWCO) is: Value: C, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: C, Safety: C, Financials: B, and AI: C.

Consolidated Water Co (NASDAQ:CWCO) has a Due Diligence Score of 47, which is 14 points higher than the water industry average of 33.

CWCO passed 17 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Consolidated Water Co has seen its stock return 38.85% over the past year, overperforming other water stocks by 45 percentage points.

Sabesp (NYSE:SBS) is the #2 top water stock out of 13 with a Zen Rating of B. Stocks with a rating of B have had an average return of +19.88% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Sabesp (NYSE:SBS) is: Value: C, Growth: B, Momentum: B, Sentiment: C, Safety: C, Financials: C, and AI: A.

Sabesp (NYSE:SBS) has a Due Diligence Score of 23, which is -10 points lower than the water industry average of 33. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates SBS as a "B".

SBS passed 10 out of 38 due diligence checks and has weak fundamentals. Sabesp has seen its stock return 66.28% over the past year, overperforming other water stocks by 72 percentage points.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT) is the #3 top water stock out of 13 with a Zen Rating of C. Stocks with a rating of C have had an average return of +7.53% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: C, Safety: C, Financials: C, and AI: B.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT) has a Due Diligence Score of 31, which is -2 points lower than the water industry average of 33.

CWT passed 11 out of 38 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. California Water Service Group has seen its stock lose -15.65% over the past year, underperforming other water stocks by -10 percentage points.

Out of 11 water stocks that have issued dividends in the past year, the 3 water stocks with the highest dividend yields are:

Global Water Resources (NASDAQ:GWRS) has an annual dividend yield of 4.34%, which is 2 percentage points higher than the water industry average of 2.82%. Global Water Resources's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% one times in the last 10 years. Global Water Resources's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Global Water Resources's dividend payout ratio of 276% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

Artesian Resources (NASDAQ:ARTNA) has an annual dividend yield of 3.98%, which is 1 percentage points higher than the water industry average of 2.82%. Artesian Resources's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Artesian Resources's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Artesian Resources's dividend payout ratio of 56.2% indicates that its high dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) has an annual dividend yield of 3.56%, which is 1 percentage points higher than the water industry average of 2.82%. Essential Utilities's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Essential Utilities's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Essential Utilities's dividend payout ratio of 61.6% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

Water stocks were down -0.15% in the last day, and down -4.48% over the last week.

We couldn't find a catalyst for why water stocks are down.

Based on the Valuation rating, one of the 7 components of a stocks overall Zen Ratings grade, which evaluates factors including estimated earnings yield, earnings before interest and taxes/enterprise value, cash flow yield, free cash flow to price, and price-to-earnings growth (PEG ratio), the 3 most undervalued water stocks right now are:

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT) is the most undervalued water stock based on its Valuation Rating of B. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

California Water Service Group has a valuation score of 29, which is 8 points higher than the water industry average of 21. It passed 2 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

California Water Service Group's stock has dropped -15.65% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the water industry by -10 percentage points.

Artesian Resources (NASDAQ:ARTNA) is the second most undervalued water stock based on its Valuation Rating of C. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Artesian Resources has a valuation score of 43, which is 22 points higher than the water industry average of 21. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Artesian Resources's stock has dropped -11.88% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the water industry by -6 percentage points.

York Water Co (NASDAQ:YORW) is the third most undervalued water stock based on its Valuation Rating of C. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

York Water Co has a valuation score of 29, which is 8 points higher than the water industry average of 21. It passed 2 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

York Water Co's stock has dropped -16.6% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the water industry by -11 percentage points.

33.33% of water stocks rated by analysts are a strong buy right now. On average, analysts expect water stocks to rise by 7.42% over the next year.

0% of water stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 16.67% of water stocks are rated B (Buy), 50% are rated C (Hold), 16.67% are rated D (Sell), and 16.67% are rated F (Strong Sell).