Q4 EPS Estimate for Essential Utilities Raised by Analyst

Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) – Analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q4 2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of Essential Utilities in a research report issued on Thursday, December 19th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the company will earn $0.51 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.50. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities’ current full-year earnings is $2.01 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Essential Utilities’ Q4 2025 earnings at $0.64 EPS.

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

WTRG has been the topic of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Essential Utilities from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $44.00 to $41.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $43.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Essential Utilities in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.00.

Essential Utilities Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE WTRG opened at $36.40 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $10.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.85. Essential Utilities has a 12-month low of $33.57 and a 12-month high of $41.78. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.93.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.3255 per share. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.00%.

Institutional Trading of Essential Utilities

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WTRG. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its stake in Essential Utilities by 21.7% during the 3rd 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. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in Essential Utilities by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 3,477 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. lifted its stake in Essential Utilities by 4.4% in the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 8,024 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.