Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) Raised to "Strong-Buy" at Zacks Research

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Essential Utilities' Q3 2025 earnings at $0.26 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.43 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $2.10 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.91 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.34 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.34 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.22 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.92 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.43 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.36 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.38 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on WTRG. Wall Street Zen upgraded Essential Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, October 11th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Essential Utilities from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Essential Utilities in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Essential Utilities from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Essential Utilities has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $45.17.

Essential Utilities Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE WTRG opened at $41.65 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $11.68 billion, a PE ratio of 17.87, a PEG ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. Essential Utilities has a 12 month low of $33.18 and a 12 month high of $42.37. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $39.20 and a 200-day moving average of $38.69.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $514.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $462.70 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 10.10%. Essential Utilities's revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.28 EPS. Essential Utilities has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.070-2.110 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Essential Utilities will post 1.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Essential Utilities

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. SouthState Corp lifted its stake in Essential Utilities by 834.7% during the second quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 701 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Essential Utilities during the first quarter worth $31,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in Essential Utilities during the second quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Essential Utilities during the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 74.78% of the company's stock.

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.

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