Essential Utilities (WTRG) Expected to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) will likely be releasing its earnings data after the market closes on Wednesday, February 26th. Analysts expect Essential Utilities to post earnings of $0.66 per share and revenue of $698.77 million for the quarter. Parties interested in registering for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Essential Utilities Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:WTRG opened at $37.04 on Tuesday. Essential Utilities has a 1-year low of $33.18 and a 1-year high of $41.78. The company’s fifty day moving average is $35.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.86.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $0.3255 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.51%. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on WTRG shares. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Essential Utilities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $43.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group lowered 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. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.00.

Essential Utilities Company Profile

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.