Essential Utilities (WTRG) News Today

Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) shares are trading higher today following a series of upbeat earnings reports, guidance raises, dividend hikes and analyst estimate revisions, despite a notable rise in bearish short interest.

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings and revenues easily beat expectations, with EPS up 37.5% year-over-year and revenues rising 18.7% to $514.9 million. Essential Utilities Q2 Earnings & Revenues Beat Estimates, Up Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Net income jumped to $107.8 million (EPS $0.38 vs. $0.28 a year ago), with a 27.2% net margin and 9.8% ROE, reflecting strong operational leverage. Business Wire: Q2 Results
• Positive Sentiment: FY2025 EPS guidance was raised to a range of $2.07–2.11, slightly above the street consensus of $2.098. (Guidance Update)
• Positive Sentiment: The quarterly dividend was increased by 5.3% to $0.3426 per share, implying a 3.71% yield. Dividend Increase Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Research Partners nudged its FY2025 EPS forecast up to $2.10 from $2.09, versus a consensus of $1.99. Seaport Res Ptn Estimate Revision
• Neutral Sentiment: The full Q2 2025 earnings call transcript, featuring commentary from CEO Christopher Franklin and VP Brian Dingerdissen, was published for investors. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest exploded in July to 4.7 million shares (a 21,361.2% increase), yielding a 2.8-day cover ratio on average daily volume. (Short Interest Report)