The York Water Company

The York Water Company announced that second-quarter net income rose to $7,615,000, an increase of $2,563,000 from the same period last year, driven primarily by a rate increase effective March 1, 2026. Operating revenues for the quarter reached $23,515,000, up $4,316,000, while basic and diluted earnings per share climbed to $0.49 from $0.35. For the first six months, net income grew to $12,429,000, a $3,739,000 increase, with operating revenues of $43,589,000 and earnings per share of $0.82. The company invested $21.1 million in capital projects during the first half and acquired two wastewater systems for $470,000, with plans to invest an additional $26.8 million in 2026.

EZCORP, Carriage Services, and York Water are highlighted as businesses that generate steady demand regardless of economic conditions, making them candidates to hold even during a stock market sell-off. EZCORP operates pawn shops and has expanded to roughly 1,500 stores in 16 countries after acquiring the 105-store Founders One chain, while also launching an online car title loan platform in Texas; its stock has climbed about 150% over the past year, partly driven by record gold prices above $5,000 an ounce that boosted scrap margins from 22% to 38%. Carriage Services owns funeral homes and cemeteries, recently entered the Knoxville market with an acquisition, and secured a $60 million credit facility for further deals, though it carries meaningful debt. York Water, which has paid a dividend every year since 1816, raised roughly $48 million in a stock offering to fund capital projects and acquisitions of small water and wastewater systems in Pennsylvania, but as a regulated utility its returns are capped and shares can be sensitive to interest rates.