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ARTNA vs YORW
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Artesian Resources Corporation (ARTNA) vs. The York Water Company (YORW) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- Artesian Resources (ARTNA) delivered 11.9% net income growth for full-year 2025, driven by customer expansion, rate increases, and growing wastewater and Service Line Protection Plan revenue streams.
- The York Water Company (YORW) saw revenue increase 3.4% in 2025 but net income declined 1.3% year-over-year, pressured by higher operating expenses, depreciation, and interest costs on debt.
- ARTNA trades at a notably lower P/E (price-to-earnings) ratio of approximately 15x compared to YORW's ~21x, while also offering a higher dividend yield of roughly 3.7% versus 2.9%.
- Both companies operate as regulated water and wastewater utilities, but ARTNA has shown stronger recent earnings momentum and a more diversified revenue base across the Delmarva Peninsula.
- YORW's larger market capitalization (~$501 million versus ~$355 million) and its historic consecutive dividend streak remain distinguishing factors, though margin compression has weighed on sentiment in recent months.
- Year-to-date, ARTNA has delivered a total return of approximately 9.4%, outpacing YORW's roughly 0.8% gain, reflecting divergent market positioning within the regulated water utility sector.
Introduction
Investors seeking exposure to the defensive and historically stable regulated water utility sector often encounter two noteworthy small-cap names: Artesian Resources Corporation and The York Water Company. Both companies provide essential water and wastewater services within well-defined regional franchises in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States. While they share a common industry classification, recent performance trends, valuation profiles, and growth trajectories have diverged in meaningful ways. This stock comparison examines how ARTNA and YORW stack up across key dimensions — from earnings dynamics and infrastructure investment to market sentiment and risk factors — offering a data-driven framework for investors evaluating relative positioning in the water utility space.
ARTNA Overview and Recent Performance
Artesian Resources Corporation operates as a holding company whose principal subsidiary, Artesian Water Company, has supplied water services on the Delmarva Peninsula since 1905. Today, the company distributes approximately 9.4 billion gallons of water annually through roughly 1,515 miles of main to over a third of Delawareans, while also providing wastewater services across Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. In recent quarters, ARTNA has delivered robust financial results. For full-year 2025, the company reported revenues of $112.9 million, a 4.6% increase year-over-year, while net income climbed 11.9% to $22.8 million, translating to diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.21, up 11.6% from $1.98 in 2024. Revenue growth has been driven by temporary rate increases approved under Delaware law, a rising customer count, expanding wastewater operations, and growing contributions from the company's Service Line Protection Plan offerings. The company invested $58.8 million in water and wastewater infrastructure during 2025, including PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) treatment upgrades, positioning it ahead of evolving regulatory standards.
YORW Overview and Recent Performance
The York Water Company is one of the oldest investor-owned water utilities in the United States, serving portions of 58 municipalities across four counties in south-central Pennsylvania. The company's operations encompass water impoundment, purification, and distribution, alongside a growing portfolio of wastewater collection and treatment systems. YORW sources the bulk of its water from the Codorus Creek basin, supported by two reservoirs with combined storage capacity exceeding 2.5 billion gallons. For full-year 2025, York Water reported operating revenues of $77.49 million, a 3.4% increase from the prior year. However, net income dipped 1.3% to $20.06 million, with EPS declining to $1.39 from $1.42 in 2024. The top-line gains — fueled by customer growth and Distribution System Improvement Charge (DSIC) revenue — were more than offset by higher operation and maintenance expenses, increased depreciation, rising debt interest, and a lower allowance for funds used during construction (AFUDC). Notably, the company recently settled a rate request tied to $145 million in infrastructure investment, a development that may support future revenue recovery.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
Business Model and Geographic Footprint: Both ARTNA and YORW operate as regulated water and wastewater utilities with monopolistic characteristics within their franchise territories. ARTNA serves the Delmarva Peninsula across three states (Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania), while YORW concentrates exclusively in south-central Pennsylvania. ARTNA benefits from a more diversified non-utility revenue stream through its Service Line Protection Plans, which grew approximately 10% in 2025.
Growth Trajectory and Earnings Momentum: The contrast in recent earnings trends is striking. ARTNA's 2025 net income expanded at a double-digit pace (11.9%), reflecting effective rate recovery mechanisms and customer growth. YORW, by contrast, experienced net income contraction despite revenue growth, as operating costs, depreciation, and interest expenses eroded profitability. Forward-looking indicators — including ARTNA's wastewater plant completion in Milton, Delaware and regulatory approval to expand treatment capacity in Sussex County — suggest continued organic growth potential.
Valuation and Income Characteristics: ARTNA currently trades at a TTM (trailing twelve months) P/E ratio of roughly 15x, a significant discount to YORW's approximately 21x multiple. Additionally, ARTNA offers a forward dividend yield near 3.7%, compared to YORW's approximately 2.9%. While YORW commands a larger absolute market capitalization (~$501 million vs. ~$355 million), ARTNA's lower valuation multiple and higher income yield may appeal to value-oriented and income-focused investors.
Risk Factors and Market Sentiment: Both companies face regulatory risk from their respective state public utility commissions, exposure to rising input costs (particularly energy and chemicals), and the capital-intensive nature of aging infrastructure replacement. ARTNA's lower beta of 0.33 suggests less sensitivity to broader market swings compared to YORW's beta of 0.62. Year-to-date performance further highlights the divergence: ARTNA has posted a total return of approximately 9.4%, while YORW has returned roughly 0.8%, underperforming both its peer and the broader S&P 500 benchmark.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable trends in earnings momentum, valuation, and relative market positioning, Tickeron's AI-driven analytical framework would likely favor ARTNA over YORW in the current environment. ARTNA's combination of double-digit net income growth, a more compressed valuation multiple, a higher dividend yield, and stronger year-to-date price performance points to comparatively favorable trend consistency and fundamental backing. YORW's recent rate settlement may provide a catalyst for future improvement, but its margin compression and flat earnings trajectory present headwinds that the AI models would likely weigh against it in a relative strength assessment. Probabilistically, ARTNA's current risk-reward profile appears more aligned with AI-identified momentum and stability indicators. As always, individual investment decisions should reflect personal objectives and risk tolerance rather than any single analytical signal.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is ARTNA is a StrongBuy and YORW is a Hold.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
ARTNA’s FA Score shows that 0 FA rating(s) are green whileYORW’s FA Score has 0 green FA rating(s).
- ARTNA’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
- YORW’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
ARTNA’s TA Score shows that 3 TA indicator(s) are bullish while YORW’s TA Score has 2 bullish TA indicator(s).
- ARTNA’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 5 bearish.
- YORW’s TA Score: 2 bullish, 6 bearish.
Price Growth
ARTNA (@Water Utilities) experienced а -0.29% price change this week, while YORW (@Water Utilities) price change was -0.51% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Water Utilities industry was -1.08%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -1.70%, and the average quarterly price growth was +0.20%.
Reported Earning Dates
ARTNA is expected to report earnings on Aug 10, 2026.
YORW is expected to report earnings on Aug 03, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Water Utilities (-1.08% weekly)Water utilities operate water treatment plants, and/or distribute water to residential and commercial customers. Companies operating in this industry are largely responsible for the safe and timely distribution of water. While most water systems are local or regional, some of the companies might have operations across several states. The industry is expected to be closely monitored by regulators for quality checks on the water being distributed. Investing in upgrading infrastructure is a major factor in bolstering the supply of clean/safe-to-use water. Given the absolute necessity of water in our lives, the industry is largely non-cyclical. American Water Works Company, Inc., Aqua America, Inc., American States Water Co. and California Water Service Group are some of the major water utilities companies in the U.S.
| ARTNA | YORW | ARTNA / YORW | |
| Capitalization | 355M | 502M | 71% |
| EBITDA | 54M | 44M | 123% |
| Gain YTD | 10.807 | -1.324 | -816% |
| P/E Ratio | 15.27 | 21.07 | 72% |
| Revenue | 115M | 79.1M | 145% |
| Total Cash | 4.26M | 3.32M | 128% |
| Total Debt | 186M | 237M | 78% |
ARTNA | YORW | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 50 | 23 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 84 Overvalued | 90 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 96 | 100 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 75 | 76 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 48 | 52 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 53 | 56 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 36 | 55 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
ARTNA's Valuation (84) in the Water Utilities industry is in the same range as YORW (90). This means that ARTNA’s stock grew similarly to YORW’s over the last 12 months.
ARTNA's Profit vs Risk Rating (96) in the Water Utilities industry is in the same range as YORW (100). This means that ARTNA’s stock grew similarly to YORW’s over the last 12 months.
ARTNA's SMR Rating (75) in the Water Utilities industry is in the same range as YORW (76). This means that ARTNA’s stock grew similarly to YORW’s over the last 12 months.
ARTNA's Price Growth Rating (48) in the Water Utilities industry is in the same range as YORW (52). This means that ARTNA’s stock grew similarly to YORW’s over the last 12 months.
ARTNA's P/E Growth Rating (53) in the Water Utilities industry is in the same range as YORW (56). This means that ARTNA’s stock grew similarly to YORW’s over the last 12 months.
| ARTNA | YORW | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 50% | 4 days ago 44% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 57% | 4 days ago 58% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 54% | 4 days ago 49% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 56% | 4 days ago 54% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 50% | 4 days ago 46% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 60% | 4 days ago 48% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 11 days ago 51% | 18 days ago 46% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 52% | 5 days ago 52% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 62% | 4 days ago 73% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 56% | 4 days ago 53% |
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ARTNA and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, ARTNA has been closely correlated with YORW. These tickers have moved in lockstep 68% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if ARTNA jumps, then YORW could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To ARTNA | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARTNA | 100% | -0.20% | ||
| YORW - ARTNA | 68% Closely correlated | +0.19% | ||
| MSEX - ARTNA | 58% Loosely correlated | +2.67% | ||
| HTO - ARTNA | 54% Loosely correlated | -1.03% | ||
| WTRG - ARTNA | 53% Loosely correlated | -1.24% | ||
| CWCO - ARTNA | 35% Loosely correlated | -1.38% | ||
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YORW and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, YORW has been closely correlated with MSEX. These tickers have moved in lockstep 69% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if YORW jumps, then MSEX could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To YORW | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YORW | 100% | +0.19% | ||
| MSEX - YORW | 69% Closely correlated | +2.67% | ||
| ARTNA - YORW | 68% Closely correlated | -0.20% | ||
| HTO - YORW | 67% Closely correlated | -1.03% | ||
| WTRG - YORW | 62% Loosely correlated | -1.24% | ||
| CWCO - YORW | 47% Loosely correlated | -1.38% | ||
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