What is Zacks Research's Estimate for WTRG FY2026 Earnings?

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Essential Utilities to $2.11, up from $2.10, though it remains below the broader consensus estimate of $2.21. Zacks also projects $0.57 EPS for Q4 2027 and $2.54 for FY2028.
• Analyst sentiment is generally positive, with Essential Utilities carrying a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $43.75 average price target. Recent target increases included UBS at $49, while Barclays maintained an underweight rating despite lifting its target to $40.
• Essential Utilities recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.3606, equivalent to a 3.7% annualized yield. Shares opened at $38.94, while the company’s latest quarterly EPS of $0.38 slightly exceeded analyst expectations.

Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research upped their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Essential Utilities in a note issued to investors on Monday, September 28th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will earn $2.11 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $2.10. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities' current full-year earnings is $2.21 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Essential Utilities' Q4 2027 earnings at $0.57 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.54 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Essential Utilities to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 4th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.75.

Essential Utilities Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of WTRG stock opened at $38.94 on Tuesday. Essential Utilities has a 12 month low of $36.10 and a 12 month high of $42.51. The company has a market cap of $11.05 billion, a PE ratio of 19.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The business's 50 day moving average is $40.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.33.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $530.85 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $538.90 million. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 8.23% and a net margin of 21.60%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.38 EPS.

Institutional Trading of Essential Utilities

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WTRG. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,095,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Essential Utilities by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,473,632 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,343,000 after purchasing an additional 132,566 shares during the last quarter. PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab boosted its position in Essential Utilities by 114.4% in the second quarter. PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab now owns 137,908 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,283,000 after buying an additional 73,600 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Essential Utilities in the second quarter valued at about $1,280,829,000. Finally, Bridgewater Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Essential Utilities in the second quarter valued at about $2,062,000. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essential Utilities

In other news, insider Colleen Arnold sold 2,855 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.55, for a total value of $112,915.25. Following the sale, the insider owned 17,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,073.85. This trade represents a 14.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Essential Utilities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th were given a $0.3606 dividend. This is a positive change from Essential Utilities's previous quarterly dividend of $0.3426. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 11th. Essential Utilities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.47%.

About Essential Utilities

Essential Utilities, Inc NYSE: WTRG is a regulated utility company that provides essential water, wastewater and natural gas services to residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers. Its water operations include the treatment and distribution of drinking water, while its wastewater operations collect and treat sewage. The company's natural gas business distributes gas through regulated utility networks.

The company operates primarily through its Aqua and Peoples businesses.

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