Essential Utilities (WTRG) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Monday

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) is projected to post its Q1 2025 quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Monday, May 12th. Analysts expect Essential Utilities to post 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 quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $604.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $698.77 million. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 7.89% and a net margin of 27.84%. 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 Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WTRG opened at $40.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization 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 has a 1-year low of $33.18 and a 1-year high of $41.78. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $39.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.02.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essential Utilities

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WTRG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group cut their price objective on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Essential Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.