Essential Utilities (WTRG) Projected to Post Earnings on Monday

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) is anticipated to post its Q1 2025 quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Monday, May 12th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.80 per share and revenue of $713.80 million for the quarter. Essential Utilities has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.070-2.110 EPS.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 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 $604.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $698.77 million. On average, analysts expect Essential Utilities to post $2 EPS for the current fiscal year and $2 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Essential Utilities Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE WTRG opened at $40.74 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company has a 50-day moving average of $39.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.04. Essential Utilities has a 1-year low of $33.18 and a 1-year high of $41.78. The company has a market cap of $11.22 billion, a PE ratio of 20.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.85.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be issued a $0.3255 dividend. This represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is 59.91%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in Essential Utilities stock. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 17,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $638,000. 74.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on WTRG shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com upgraded Essential Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, April 20th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a 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 objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.50.

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.