Brokers Issue Forecasts for WTRG FY2028 Earnings

Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Seaport Res Ptn issued their FY2028 earnings per share estimates for Essential Utilities in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, April 11th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst A. Storozynski forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $2.50 for the year. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities' current full-year earnings is $1.99 per share.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $604.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $698.77 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.84% and a return on equity of 7.89%.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Essential Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $41.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com downgraded Essential Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $43.50.

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Essential Utilities Stock Performance

NYSE WTRG traded down $0.25 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $39.91. The company had a trading volume of 1,479,356 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,485,794. Essential Utilities has a 1-year low of $33.18 and a 1-year high of $41.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.55. The company has a market cap of $11.00 billion, a PE ratio of 19.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50 day moving average of $38.02 and a 200-day moving average of $37.84.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be paid a $0.3255 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.26%. Essential Utilities's payout ratio is 59.91%.

Institutional Trading of Essential Utilities

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WTRG. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $102,600,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Essential Utilities by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,061,135 shares of the company's stock worth $1,091,820,000 after purchasing an additional 2,245,256 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in Essential Utilities by 31.2% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 6,726,215 shares of the company's stock valued at $244,296,000 after purchasing an additional 1,597,672 shares in the last quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Essential Utilities in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,355,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in Essential Utilities by 16.7% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 6,811,851 shares of the company's stock valued at $247,134,000 after acquiring an additional 972,803 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.78% of the company's stock.

Essential Utilities Company Profile

Essential Utilities, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates regulated utilities that provide water, wastewater, or natural gas services in the United States. The company operates through Regulated Water and Regulated Natural Gas segments. It offers water services through operating and maintenance contract with municipal authorities and other parties.