Q1 EPS Forecast for Essential Utilities Lifted by Analyst

Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2027 earnings per share estimates for shares of Essential Utilities in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, August 25th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $1.06 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.02. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities’ current full-year earnings is $2.21 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Essential Utilities’ Q2 2027 earnings at $0.40 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.38 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.58 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.41 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $1.12 EPS and Q2 2028 earnings at $0.37 EPS.

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

WTRG has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essential Utilities in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Essential Utilities to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 4th. Barclays boosted 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. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.00.

Essential Utilities Price Performance

Essential Utilities stock opened at $40.74 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $39.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market cap of $11.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.79 and a beta of 0.64. Essential Utilities has a 12-month low of $36.10 and a 12-month high of $42.37.

Essential Utilities Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be given a dividend of $0.3606 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. This is an increase from Essential Utilities’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.47%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Colleen Arnold sold 2,855 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.55, for a total transaction of $112,915.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 17,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,073.85. The trade was a 14.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Essential Utilities during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,280,829,000. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 3,456.6% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 11,969,002 shares of the company’s stock worth $458,532,000 after purchasing an additional 11,632,469 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at $154,176,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Essential Utilities in the 2nd quarter valued at $134,247,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the 2nd quarter valued at $92,467,000. Institutional investors own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

About Essential Utilities

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.