What is Zacks Research’s Estimate for WTRG FY2025 Earnings?

Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research decreased their FY2025 EPS estimates for Essential Utilities in a research note issued on Wednesday, January 15th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $2.11 for the year, down from their prior estimate of $2.12. 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 $0.39 EPS.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.84% and a return on equity of 7.89%. The company had revenue of $435.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $416.95 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis.

WTRG has been the topic of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Essential Utilities from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $44.00 to $41.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Essential Utilities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $43.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Essential Utilities currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.00.

Essential Utilities Stock Down 0.3 %

WTRG opened at $34.92 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.46, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.39. Essential Utilities has a fifty-two week low of $33.18 and a fifty-two week high of $41.78. The company’s 50-day moving average is $37.47 and its 200 day moving average is $38.70.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 61.4% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 773 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the period. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the 3rd quarter worth about $42,000. 74.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.3255 per share. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. Essential Utilities’s payout ratio is currently 65.00%.

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.