What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for WTRG FY2025 Earnings?

Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) – Zacks Research reduced their FY2025 earnings estimates for Essential Utilities in a note issued to investors on Monday, November 25th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $2.10 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $2.11. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities’ current full-year earnings is $2.01 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Essential Utilities’ Q1 2026 earnings at $0.82 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.40 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $2.23 EPS.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on WTRG. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Essential Utilities from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $44.00 to $41.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of Essential Utilities in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $43.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Essential Utilities presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.00.

Essential Utilities Price Performance

Shares of WTRG stock opened at $40.07 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $39.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.89. Essential Utilities has a one year low of $33.57 and a one year high of $41.78. The firm has a market cap of $11.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.39.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 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 $435.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $416.95 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.30 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a $0.3255 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.25%. Essential Utilities’s payout ratio is 65.00%.

Institutional Trading of Essential Utilities

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTRG. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in Essential Utilities during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Essential Utilities in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Essential Utilities in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Essential Utilities by 61.4% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Essential Utilities during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Essential Utilities

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.