Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Essential Utilities an average rating of "Hold" (1 sell, 5 hold, 1 buy, 2 strong buys) with a consensus 1‑year price target of $43.20.
• Recent quarterly results beat expectations — EPS $0.47 versus $0.36 est. and revenue $699.11M (up 15.7% year‑over‑year) — and analysts project ~2.25 EPS for the current year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.3426 (annualized $1.37), implying a yield of about 3.6%; the ex‑dividend date is May 12 and the payment date is June 1.

Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Hold" by the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $43.20.

Separately, Argus upgraded Essential Utilities to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essential Utilities

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WTRG. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $638,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 7.8% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 12,861 shares of the company's stock valued at $508,000 after purchasing an additional 928 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 29,674 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,173,000 after purchasing an additional 530 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 122.7% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 943,797 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,308,000 after purchasing an additional 519,933 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 22,322 shares of the company's stock valued at $882,000 after purchasing an additional 1,044 shares during the period. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essential Utilities Price Performance

Essential Utilities stock opened at $38.06 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.22 and a beta of 0.67. 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 $40.04 and a 200-day moving average of $39.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $699.11 million during 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 for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.67 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Essential Utilities will post 2.25 EPS for the current year.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.3426 per share. This represents a $1.37 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. Essential Utilities's payout ratio is presently 61.99%.

Essential Utilities Company Profile

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.

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