Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for WTRG Earnings

Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research increased their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Essential Utilities in a research note issued to investors on Monday, September 28th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $2.11 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $2.10. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities’ current full-year earnings is $2.21 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Essential Utilities’ Q4 2027 earnings at $0.57 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.54 EPS.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.01. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 8.23% and a net margin of 21.60%.The firm had revenue of $530.85 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $538.90 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.38 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

WTRG has been the topic of several other reports. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Essential Utilities from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Essential Utilities to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.75.

Essential Utilities Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE WTRG opened at $39.24 on Tuesday. Essential Utilities has a 12 month low of $36.10 and a 12 month high of $42.51. The company has a 50-day moving average of $40.53 and a 200-day moving average of $39.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $11.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.64.

Essential Utilities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th were given a dividend of $0.3606 per share. This is a boost from Essential Utilities’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.3426. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Colleen Arnold sold 2,855 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.55, for a total value of $112,915.25. Following the transaction, the insider owned 17,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,073.85. This trade represents a 14.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essential Utilities

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WTRG. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 23,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $897,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Essential Utilities by 13.5% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 81,214 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,110,000 after purchasing an additional 9,637 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,119,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $502,595,000 after purchasing an additional 687,688 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 289,905 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,106,000 after purchasing an additional 14,976 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in Essential Utilities by 5.7% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 44,961 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,722,000 after purchasing an additional 2,439 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

Essential Utilities Company Profile

Essential Utilities, Inc is a regulated utility company that provides essential water, wastewater and natural gas services to residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers. Its water operations include the treatment, distribution and supply of drinking water, while its wastewater business manages the collection and treatment of sewage. The company also distributes natural gas through regulated utility operations.

The company serves customers across several U.S. states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Texas, North Carolina, New Jersey, Indiana, Virginia, Georgia and West Virginia.