Zacks Research Issues Negative Outlook for WTRG Earnings

Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Essential Utilities in a research note issued on Monday, March 17th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.75 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.83. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities' current full-year earnings is $1.99 per share.

WTRG has been the subject of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $41.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Evercore ISI upped 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, March 5th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $43.50.

Essential Utilities Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE WTRG traded down $0.40 on Thursday, hitting $38.12. 1,574,399 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,371,802. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $36.69 and a 200-day moving average of $37.82. The company has a market cap of $10.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.06, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.79. Essential Utilities has a 12 month low of $33.18 and a 12 month high of $41.78.

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

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a $0.3255 dividend. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. Essential Utilities's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.91%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Essential Utilities by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,061,135 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,091,820,000 after buying an additional 2,245,256 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 6,811,851 shares of the company's stock valued at $247,134,000 after purchasing an additional 972,803 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 31.2% in the fourth 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. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,317,312 shares of the company's stock valued at $156,526,000 after purchasing an additional 11,336 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Essential Utilities by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,690,116 shares of the company's stock worth $134,025,000 after purchasing an additional 236,250 shares in 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.