Upstart Holdings Inc vs Essential Utilities Inc. Common Stock — how do they compare? Upstart Holdings Inc trades at $22.41 (market cap $2.21B), while Essential Utilities Inc. Common Stock trades at $40 (market cap $11.31B). The key difference: Essential Utilities Inc. Common Stock is far larger — about 5.1× Upstart Holdings Inc's market cap, and Essential Utilities Inc. Common Stock pays a 3.62% dividend while Upstart Holdings Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold Upstart Holdings Inc for 39 Days and Essential Utilities Inc. Common Stock for 0 Days on average.
| UPST | WTRG | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $2.21B | $11.31B |
Volume | 5,011,542 | 2,459,172 |
Sector | Financials | Utilities |
52-Week High | $52.74 | $42.00 |
52-Week Low | $22.74 | $36.25 |
Typical Hold Time | 39 Days | 0 Days |
Enterprise Value | $3.78B | $19.82B |
Dividend Yield | — | 3.62% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Upstart Holdings trades at $23.83, showing modest daily gains of 0.34% but remains in a bearish technical trend. The company reported mixed Q2 2026 earnings with $0.16 EPS missing expectations of $0.18, though revenue growth accelerated to $1.02 billion in 2025 with positive net income of $54 million. Recent news highlights partnership expansions into HELOC and auto lending while the stock faces pressure near 52-week lows.
Despite recent profitability improvements, Upstart faces execution risks with three consecutive earnings misses and negative operating cash flow. Analyst consensus remains divided with a $38.13 price target suggesting 60% upside potential, but high valuation multiples and competitive pressures in consumer lending warrant caution for investors.
WTRG trades at $39.29, up 0.36% with neutral technical signals. The stock shows mixed earnings performance with two beats and one miss in recent quarters, while maintaining strong profitability margins (21.6% net income margin). Analyst consensus is bullish with a $44.50 price target, supported by ongoing acquisitions and pending merger developments with American Water.
The stock presents a stable utility investment with moderate growth potential through strategic acquisitions, though near-term earnings volatility and integration risks from the pending merger warrant caution. Current valuation at 20.15 P/E appears reasonable given the company's consistent cash flow generation and defensive sector positioning.
Trailing returns across standard periods
What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days
Upstart Holdings Inc provides credit services. The company provides a proprietary, cloud-based, artificial intelligence lending platform. The platform aggregates consumer demand for loans and connects it to the network of Upstart AI-enabled bank partners. The revenue of the company is primarily comprised of fees paid by banks.
Read more on UPST →Essential Utilities Inc. is a holding company for regulated water, wastewater, and natural gas utilities, operating under the Aqua and Peoples brands. It serves customers across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, Indiana, Virginia, and Kentucky.
Read more on WTRG →