Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.01, Zacks reports. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.84% and a return on equity of 7.89%. The company had revenue of $604.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $698.77 million. Essential Utilities updated its FY 2025 guidance to 2.070-2.110 EPS.

Essential Utilities Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of WTRG stock traded up $0.39 on Friday, hitting $37.96. The stock had a trading volume of 3,056,411 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,543,969. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.86. The stock's 50 day moving average is $35.60 and its 200-day moving average is $37.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.55. Essential Utilities has a 52-week low of $33.18 and a 52-week high of $41.78.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be paid a $0.3255 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.43%. Essential Utilities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WTRG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Essential Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $41.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective 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. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.33.

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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.