Zacks Research Issues Positive Forecast for WTRG Earnings

Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) – Zacks Research boosted their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Essential Utilities in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $0.34 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.33. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities’ current full-year earnings is $1.99 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Essential Utilities’ FY2026 earnings at $2.24 EPS.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $699.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $611.60 million. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 9.18% and a net margin of 24.91%.The company’s revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.67 EPS.

WTRG has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essential Utilities in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Argus upgraded Essential Utilities to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $43.20.

Essential Utilities Price Performance

WTRG stock opened at $38.68 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $10.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.50 and a beta of 0.78. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $39.87 and its 200 day moving average is $39.42. Essential Utilities has a 52 week low of $36.32 and a 52 week high of $42.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.3426 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $1.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is 61.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essential Utilities

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter worth about $638,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 7.8% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 12,861 shares of the company’s stock valued at $508,000 after purchasing an additional 928 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Essential Utilities by 1.8% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 29,674 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,173,000 after buying an additional 530 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Essential Utilities by 122.7% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 943,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,308,000 after purchasing an additional 519,933 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 4.9% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 22,322 shares of the company’s stock worth $882,000 after buying an additional 1,044 shares in the last quarter. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Essential Utilities Company Profile

Essential Utilities, Inc, formerly known as Aqua America, is a publicly traded water and natural gas utility holding company. Through its regulated water and wastewater subsidiaries, the company provides essential water services to residential, commercial and industrial customers. In addition, Essential Utilities delivers natural gas distribution services in Pennsylvania through its Peoples Gas subsidiary, offering integrated utility solutions under a unified corporate framework.

The company traces its roots to the Philadelphia Suburban Water Company, founded in 1886 to serve growing communities outside Philadelphia.