Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Estimate for WTRG Earnings

Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Essential Utilities in a research report issued on Monday, March 17th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the company will earn $0.75 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.83. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities’ current full-year earnings is $1.99 per share.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on WTRG. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group lowered 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 note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Essential Utilities presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.50.

Essential Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of WTRG stock opened at $38.82 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.41, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.79. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $36.52 and its 200 day moving average is $37.85. Essential Utilities has a 12 month low of $33.18 and a 12 month high of $41.78.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $604.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $698.77 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.84% and a return on equity of 7.89%.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be issued a $0.3255 dividend. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. Essential Utilities’s payout ratio is 59.91%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essential Utilities

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,061,135 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,091,820,000 after buying an additional 2,245,256 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 16.7% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 31.2% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings 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 last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,690,116 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,025,000 after purchasing an additional 236,250 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

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.