FY2025 Earnings Forecast for WTRG Issued By Zacks Research

Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research raised their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for Essential Utilities in a research report issued on Wednesday, October 16th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the company will earn $2.11 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $2.10. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities’ current full-year earnings is $1.99 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Essential Utilities’ Q2 2026 earnings at $0.44 EPS and Q3 2026 earnings at $0.36 EPS.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.02). Essential Utilities had a net margin of 28.74% and a return on equity of 8.16%. The company had revenue of $434.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $442.76 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.34 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other analysts have also commented on WTRG. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Essential Utilities from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Essential Utilities from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Essential Utilities in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Essential Utilities in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $44.00 target price for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Essential Utilities from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.80.

Essential Utilities Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE:WTRG opened at $40.09 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $10.96 billion, a PE ratio of 19.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.26. Essential Utilities has a 12 month low of $32.42 and a 12 month high of $41.78.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essential Utilities

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Essential Utilities by 857.5% during the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 626 shares during the period. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. bought a new stake in Essential Utilities during the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Webster Bank N. A. purchased a new position in shares of Essential Utilities in the first quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Essential Utilities in the first quarter worth about $43,000. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Essential Utilities Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $0.3255 per share. This is a boost from Essential Utilities’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.25%. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.61%.

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.