Essential Utilities (WTRG) to Release Earnings on Monday

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) is anticipated to post its Q1 2025 quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Monday, May 12th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.80 per share and revenue of $713.80 million for the quarter. Essential Utilities has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.070-2.110 EPS.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 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 $604.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $698.77 million. On average, analysts expect Essential Utilities to post $2 EPS for the current fiscal year and $2 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Essential Utilities Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of WTRG stock traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $40.57. The company had a trading volume of 215,585 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,449,872. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $39.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.03. The company has a market capitalization of $11.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.55. Essential Utilities has a twelve month low of $33.18 and a twelve month high of $41.78.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on WTRG shares. 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com raised Essential Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, April 20th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $43.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essential Utilities

An institutional investor recently bought a new position in Essential Utilities stock. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 17,563 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $638,000. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.