Q4 EPS Estimate for Essential Utilities Boosted by Analyst

Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research upped their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Essential Utilities in a report issued on Wednesday, January 15th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $0.53 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.51. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities’ current full-year earnings is $1.99 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Essential Utilities’ Q2 2025 earnings at $0.34 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.65 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $0.65 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on WTRG. UBS Group decreased their target price on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Essential Utilities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $43.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $44.00 to $41.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Essential Utilities presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.00.

Essential Utilities Stock Performance

NYSE:WTRG opened at $35.07 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $37.56 and its 200-day moving average is $38.68. The company has a market cap of $9.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.54, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.55. Essential Utilities has a 52-week low of $33.18 and a 52-week high of $41.78.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $435.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $416.95 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.30 earnings per share. Essential Utilities’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essential Utilities

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its position in Essential Utilities by 1.8% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 14,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $549,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 61.4% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 21.7% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 1,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Essential Utilities by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $180,000 after buying an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in Essential Utilities by 10.6% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 3,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $0.3255 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.71%. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.