Zacks Research Has Pessimistic View of WTRG Q1 Earnings

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

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on WTRG. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group cut 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.50.

Essential Utilities Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE WTRG opened at $38.39 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Essential Utilities has a 12 month low of $33.18 and a 12 month high of $41.78. The company has a market cap of $10.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.79. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.84.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 7.89% and a net margin of 27.84%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essential Utilities

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in Essential Utilities by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 953,574 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,634,000 after purchasing an additional 105,590 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 35.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 63,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,311,000 after buying an additional 16,543 shares during the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ bought a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,026,000. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH acquired a new position in Essential Utilities in the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in Essential Utilities during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,511,000. 74.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.3255 per share. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.91%.

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.