What is Zacks Research's Forecast for WTRG FY2025 Earnings?

Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Essential Utilities in a report issued on Monday, November 25th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $2.10 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $2.11. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities' current full-year earnings is $2.01 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Essential Utilities' Q1 2026 earnings at $0.82 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.40 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $2.23 EPS.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 7.89% and a net margin of 27.84%. The business had revenue of $435.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $416.95 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.30 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $43.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Essential Utilities from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Robert W. Baird increased 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, November 6th. Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of Essential Utilities in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut Essential Utilities from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $44.00 to $41.00 in a report on Thursday, November 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Essential Utilities presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $44.00.

Essential Utilities Stock Up 0.6 %

Essential Utilities stock traded up $0.24 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $40.28. The stock had a trading volume of 1,193,734 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,528,915. The company has a market capitalization of $11.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.39. Essential Utilities has a one year low of $33.57 and a one year high of $41.78. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $39.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.87.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in Essential Utilities in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Essential Utilities in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essential Utilities during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 61.4% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 773 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the period. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Essential Utilities in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.78% of the company's stock.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.3255 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.23%. Essential Utilities's dividend payout ratio is currently 65.00%.

About Essential Utilities

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.