Q2 EPS Forecast for Essential Utilities Lifted by Analyst

Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) – Research analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for Essential Utilities in a research note issued on Wednesday, May 27th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will earn $0.38 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.34. 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 $0.54 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.02 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.40 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.60 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.40 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $1.03 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.55 EPS.

Several other analysts have also commented on WTRG. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essential Utilities in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Argus upgraded shares of Essential Utilities to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, UBS Group set a $41.00 price target on shares of Essential Utilities in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Two 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $42.40.

Essential Utilities Stock Down 0.0%

WTRG stock opened at $37.14 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $39.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $39.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.53 billion, a PE ratio of 18.85 and a beta of 0.67. Essential Utilities has a 12 month low of $36.32 and a 12 month high of $42.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $861.76 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $782.90 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 21.82% and a return on equity of 8.34%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.03 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essential Utilities

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ lifted its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 83,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,191,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Essential Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 29.9% during the first quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 1,234 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 284 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 2.3% during the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 13,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $520,000 after buying an additional 287 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 1.7% during the third quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 17,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $689,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the period. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 8,604 shares of the company’s stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

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.