Zacks Research Has Optimistic Outlook of WTRG Q1 Earnings

Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) – Research analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Essential Utilities in a report released on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will earn $0.98 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.96. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities’ current full-year earnings is $2.25 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Essential Utilities’ Q4 2026 earnings at $0.57 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.99 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $0.62 EPS.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $699.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $611.60 million. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 9.18% and a net margin of 24.91%.The company’s revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.67 EPS.

WTRG has been the topic of a number of other reports. Argus upgraded Essential Utilities to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essential Utilities in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $43.20.

Essential Utilities Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of WTRG stock opened at $39.22 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.11 billion, a PE ratio of 17.75 and a beta of 0.78. Essential Utilities has a 1-year low of $36.32 and a 1-year high of $42.37. The business has a 50-day moving average of $39.99 and a 200 day moving average of $39.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be given a $0.3426 dividend. This represents a $1.37 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essential Utilities

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Christine Messmer PC increased its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. Christine Messmer PC now owns 35,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,420,000 after acquiring an additional 2,756 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in Essential Utilities in the first quarter worth approximately $3,302,000. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Essential Utilities by 4.4% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,153 shares of the company’s stock worth $328,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Essential Utilities by 611.4% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,744,679 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,258,000 after acquiring an additional 1,499,450 shares during the period. Finally, Bar Harbor Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Essential Utilities in the first quarter valued at approximately $202,000. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Essential Utilities

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.