What is Seaport Res Ptn's Estimate for WTRG FY2028 Earnings?

Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Seaport Res Ptn issued their FY2028 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Essential Utilities in a research report issued on Friday, April 11th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst A. Storozynski anticipates that the company will earn $2.50 per share for the year. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities' current full-year earnings is $1.99 per share.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $604.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $698.77 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.84% and a return on equity of 7.89%.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on WTRG. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Essential Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $41.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Essential Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.50.

Essential Utilities Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE WTRG traded up $0.45 on Monday, hitting $40.50. The stock had a trading volume of 962,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,482,841. Essential Utilities has a 52-week low of $33.18 and a 52-week high of $41.78. The business's fifty day moving average price is $38.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.90. 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 stock has a market cap of $11.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.80.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be issued a $0.3255 dividend. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. Essential Utilities's payout ratio is presently 59.91%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essential Utilities

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 12,156 shares of the company's stock valued at $469,000 after buying an additional 2,014 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 5.8% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 52,488 shares of the company's stock worth $2,025,000 after purchasing an additional 2,860 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Essential Utilities by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,305,976 shares of the company's stock valued at $165,701,000 after purchasing an additional 82,456 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Essential Utilities by 39.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 24,359 shares of the company's stock valued at $963,000 after purchasing an additional 6,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in Essential Utilities by 99.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 54,809 shares of the company's stock worth $2,114,000 after purchasing an additional 27,291 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.78% of the company's stock.

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.