14 U.S. public companies · NYU Stern “Utility (Water)” · January 2026
Industry data: Damodaran, NYU Stern, January 2026 · sale multiple: BizBuySell, Q2 2026. An estimate, not an appraisal.
| Measure | Water Utility | Typical industry | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 59.0% | 36.9% | Revenue left after the direct cost of what is sold |
| EBITDA margin | 45.7% | 15.7% | Profit before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization |
| Operating margin | 33.7% | 12.1% | Profit from operations, before interest and tax |
| Net margin | 21.2% | 7.3% | Profit after every cost and tax |
| EV/EBITDA | 14.1× | 13.2× | Enterprise value ÷ EBITDA, profitable companies |
| EV/Sales | 7.2× | 2.6× | Enterprise value ÷ revenue |
| Cost of capital | 4.93% | 7.08% | Return investors require, debt and equity blended |
| SG&A ÷ revenue | 3.9% | — | Selling, general and administrative costs |
| Debt ÷ capital | 38.4% | — | Share of funding from debt, at market values |
| Beta (levered / total unlevered) | 0.41 / 1.90 | — | Market risk / all the risk an undiversified owner carries |
Source: Aswath Damodaran, NYU Stern, January 2026. Aggregates: total profit ÷ total revenue across the group, so large companies weigh more.
Across 14 U.S. public companies in the water utility industry, net profit is 21.2% of revenue, operating profit 33.7% and gross profit 59.0% (January 2026 data from NYU Stern). That gross margin ranks 15 of 94 industries.
The industry average is 45.7%, against 15.7% for the typical industry. A business above 45.7% keeps more of each sale than the listed companies in its field.
Listed companies in the water utility industry trade at 14.1× EBITDA and 7.2× revenue. Small private businesses sell for far less: U.S. small businesses averaged 2.7× seller’s discretionary earnings in Q2 2026 (BizBuySell).
A diversified investor would want about 4.9% on the whole business (the industry cost of capital). An owner with most of their wealth in it carries more risk: 3.95% + total beta 1.90 × 4.46% = 12.4%.