Essential Utilities (WTRG) Expected to Announce Earnings on Wednesday

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) is expected to release its Q4 2025 results after the market closes on Wednesday, February 25th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.36 per share and revenue of $611.60 million for the quarter. Individuals are encouraged to explore the company’s upcoming Q4 2025 earning overview page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, February 26, 2026 at 11:00 AM ET.

Essential Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of Essential Utilities stock opened at $39.58 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market cap of $11.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.42 and a beta of 0.81. Essential Utilities has a 1 year low of $34.85 and a 1 year high of $42.37. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $38.58 and its 200 day moving average is $38.96.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a $0.3426 dividend. This represents a $1.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on WTRG shares. Northcoast Research upgraded Essential Utilities from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $42.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $45.00 price objective (down from $46.00) on shares of Essential Utilities in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Robert W. Baird cut shares of Essential Utilities from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Essential Utilities from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $44.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essential Utilities in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $43.29.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essential Utilities

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WTRG. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Essential Utilities by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,833,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $530,641,000 after purchasing an additional 241,176 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its holdings in Essential Utilities by 33.4% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 6,335,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $243,023,000 after purchasing an additional 1,586,622 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Essential Utilities by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,142,709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $158,914,000 after purchasing an additional 35,662 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 12.2% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,929,549 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,789,000 after purchasing an additional 427,169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 5.0% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,164,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $126,266,000 after purchasing an additional 151,427 shares in the last quarter. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essential Utilities Company Profile

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.