WTRG drawdown: 25.2% below the all-time high
Essential Utilities Inc. (WTRG) is 25.2% below its all-time high, set Feb 18, 2020 (as of market close, Aug 13, 2026). The chart shows every day as a percentage of the highest level reached up to that point: 100% means a fresh record, everything below is a drawdown. "All-time" means since our price data begins (1980).
- Below all-time high
- −25.2%
- 74.8% of ATH
- All-time high
- $54.07
- Feb 18, 2020
- Time below the high
- 6.5 yrs
- since Feb 18, 2020
- Worst-ever drawdown
- −82.9%
- Jul 8, 1981
- Longest underwater
- 16.1 yrs
- between all-time highs
- Today's level first reached
- Jun 5, 2019
- 7.2 yrs ago
- Last time this deep
- Apr 24, 2012
- in a previous episode
% of all-time high since 1980#
The classic underwater chart (drawdown curve), drawn as % of the all-time high — 100% is a fresh record, everything below it is time spent underwater.
% of all-time high on the price basis — the all-time high considers the full history of WTRG, including years before the visible window. Dividends are excluded on this basis (the convention headlines use).
The deepest drawdowns on record#
Every decline of 15% or more from an all-time high (price basis), deepest first.
| Peak | Trough | Depth | Peak → trough | Recovered by | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 7, 1981 | Jul 8, 1981 | −82.9% | 1 days | Aug 6, 1997 | 16.1 yrs |
| Mar 1, 2006 | Jul 15, 2008 | −50.5% | 2.4 yrs | Mar 4, 2013 | 7.0 yrs |
| Dec 30, 1998 | Mar 9, 2000 | −43.3% | 14 mo | Dec 27, 2000 | 2.0 yrs |
| Feb 18, 2020 | Oct 3, 2023 | −39.7% | 3.6 yrs | not yet | 6.5 yrs+ |
| May 8, 2002 | Jul 19, 2002 | −34.8% | 2 mo | Oct 7, 2003 | 17 mo |
| Nov 25, 1980 | May 4, 1981 | −28.9% | 5 mo | Jul 1, 1981 | 7 mo |
| Jan 26, 1998 | Jun 3, 1998 | −24.5% | 4 mo | Aug 18, 1998 | 7 mo |
| Oct 3, 2005 | Oct 21, 2005 | −19.9% | 18 days | Feb 27, 2006 | 5 mo |
Price basis (no dividends) — the convention crash histories use. With dividends reinvested, recoveries arrive years earlier; switch the basis on the chart above to see it.
Drawdown vs what came next#
One dot per month since 1980: how far WTRG stood below its all-time high, and the total return over the following 1, 5 and 10 years.
Read this with survivorship bias in mind: WTRG is on this chart precisely because it survived — the many stocks that fell this far and never recovered (or were delisted) aren't on anyone's chart, so past recoveries here say little about the odds ahead. Monthly windows also overlap heavily (they are not independent samples). Not investment advice.
FAQ#
- How far is WTRG from its all-time high?
- WTRG is currently 25.2% below its all-time high, set Feb 18, 2020 (as of market close, Aug 13, 2026). Prices only, the convention headlines use; with dividends reinvested the gap is usually smaller.
- What was the biggest WTRG drawdown ever?
- The deepest decline on record in our data (since 1980) took the stock 82.9% below its prior high, bottoming Jul 8, 1981. The table on this page lists every major episode with its peak, trough and recovery date.
Methodology & related#
Daily closing prices since 1980 (split-adjusted). "All-time" means since our price data begins — WTRG may have traded earlier. For a 150-year index drawdown record see the S&P 500 drawdown page. The price basis excludes dividends; the total-return basis reinvests them; the real basis additionally deflates by CPI. See also returns by year, 150 years of returns and the rolling-returns explorer. Past performance does not predict future returns; not investment advice.