Top-Rated Dividend StocksTop-Rated DividendNYSE:WTRG Essential Utilities (WTRG) Stock Forecast, Price & News $32.82 -1.51 (-4.40%) (As of 02:57 PM ET) Add Compare Share Share Today's Range$32.72▼$34.0850-Day Range$34.04▼$42.7952-Week Range$32.72▼$49.89Volume678,756 shsAverage Volume1.16 million shsMarket Capitalization$8.68 billionP/E Ratio18.65Dividend Yield3.75%Price Target$49.40 ProfileProfileAnalyst RatingsChartCompetitorsDividendEarningsFinancialsInsider TradesInstitutional OwnershipHeadlinesOptions ChainSEC FilingsShort InterestSocial MediaSustainabilityProfileAnalyst RatingsChartCompetitorsDividendEarningsFinancialsInsider TradesInstitutional OwnershipHeadlinesOptions ChainSEC FilingsShort InterestSocial MediaSustainability Essential Utilities MarketRank™ ForecastAnalyst RatingBuy3.00 Rating ScoreUpside/Downside50.5% Upside$49.40 Price TargetShort InterestHealthy1.34% of Shares Sold ShortDividend StrengthStrongBased on Four FactorsSustainability-2.18Upright™ Environmental ScoreNews Sentiment0.96Based on 8 Articles This WeekInsider TradingN/AProj. Earnings Growth7.53%From $1.86 to $2.00 Per ShareSee Full Details Hide Full Details Overall MarketRank™MarketRank is calculated as an average of available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.3.16 out of 5 starsUtilities Sector6th out of 87 stocksWater Supply Industry1st out of 13 stocks 3.5 Analyst's Opinion Consensus RatingEssential Utilities has received a consensus rating of Buy. The company's average rating score is 3.00, and is based on 4 buy ratings, no hold ratings, and no sell ratings.Price Target Upside/DownsideAccording to analysts' consensus price target of $49.40, Essential Utilities has a forecasted upside of 50.5% from its current price of $32.82.Amount of Analyst CoverageEssential Utilities has only been the subject of 1 research reports in the past 90 days. Previous Next 3.0 Short Interest Percentage of Shares Shorted1.34% of the outstanding shares of Essential Utilities have been sold short.Short Interest Ratio / Days to CoverEssential Utilities has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 3, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.Change versus previous monthShort interest in Essential Utilities has recently increased by 10.25%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly. Previous Next 5.0 Dividend Strength Dividend LeadershipEssential Utilities is a leading dividend payer. It pays a dividend yield of 3.58%, putting its dividend yield in the top 25% of dividend-paying stocks.Dividend GrowthEssential Utilities has been increasing its dividend for 32 years.Dividend CoverageThe dividend payout ratio of Essential Utilities is 69.89%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.Dividend SustainabilityBased on earnings estimates, Essential Utilities will have a dividend payout ratio of 61.50% next year. This indicates that Essential Utilities will be able to sustain or increase its dividend. Previous Next 3.1 Sustainability and ESG Overall ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) ScoreEssential Utilities has received a 30.22% net impact score from Upright. The largest positive contribution comes from its "Societal infrastructure" impact, which is mostly driven by its "Natural gas distribution services", "Drinking water distribution services", and "Drinking water treatment services" products. See details.Environmental SustainabilityThe Environmental Impact score for Essential Utilities is -2.18. Previous Next 3.3 News and Social Media Coverage News SentimentEssential Utilities has a news sentiment score of 0.96. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.45 average news sentiment score of Utilities companies.News Coverage This WeekMarketBeat has tracked 8 news articles for Essential Utilities this week, compared to 4 articles on an average week.Search InterestOnly 3 people have searched for WTRG on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -40% compared to the previous 30 days.MarketBeat Follows8 people have added Essential Utilities to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 60% compared to the previous 30 days. Previous Next 1.7 Company Ownership Insider Buying vs. Insider SellingIn the past three months, Essential Utilities insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.Percentage Held by InsidersOnly 0.18% of the stock of Essential Utilities is held by insiders.Percentage Held by Institutions73.01% of the stock of Essential Utilities is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company. Previous Next 2.5 Earnings and Valuation Earnings GrowthEarnings for Essential Utilities are expected to grow by 7.53% in the coming year, from $1.86 to $2.00 per share.Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the MarketThe P/E ratio of Essential Utilities is 18.65, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 112.33.Price to Earnings Ratio vs. SectorThe P/E ratio of Essential Utilities is 18.65, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Utilities sector average P/E ratio of about 87.45.Price to Earnings Growth RatioEssential Utilities has a PEG Ratio of 3.29. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued.Price to Book Value per Share RatioEssential Utilities has a P/B Ratio of 1.60. P/B Ratios below 3 indicates that a company is reasonably valued with respect to its assets and liabilities. Previous Next See Top Rated MarketRank™ Stocks Here About Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) StockEssential 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. The company also provides non-utility raw water supply services for firms in the natural gas drilling industry; and water and sewer line protection solutions, and repair services to households. It serves approximately 8.8 million residential water, commercial water, fire protection, industrial water, wastewater, and other water and utility customers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky under the Aqua and Peoples brands. The company was formerly known as Aqua America, Inc. and changed its name to Essential Utilities, Inc. in February 2020. Essential Utilities, Inc. was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.Read More WTRG Price History View Price History Chart DataSkip Price History Chart 30 days | 90 days | 365 days | Advanced Chart WTRG Stock News HeadlinesOctober 2, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comEssential Utilities Completes Sale of West Virginia Gas Utility AssetsSeptember 30, 2023 | americanbankingnews.comEssential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) Stock Rating Upgraded by Northcoast ResearchOctober 2, 2023 | Behind the Markets (Ad)[BREAKING] New "Living Missile" to Replace Nuclear MissilesCBS News Reports: "It's an entirely new type of weapon." The New York Times Reports: "No existing defense can stop it." And one small company is building them for the Pentagon!September 29, 2023 | nasdaq.comNorthcoast Research Upgrades Essential Utilities (WTRG)September 27, 2023 | finance.yahoo.com3 Recession-Resistant Stocks to Buy NowSeptember 22, 2023 | americanbankingnews.comEssential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) Downgraded by StockNews.com to SellSeptember 21, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comWith A Return On Equity Of 8.3%, Has Essential Utilities, Inc.'s (NYSE:WTRG) Management Done Well?September 20, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comEssential Utilities Publishes 2022 ESG Report: Achieves Supplier and Employee Diversity Targets, Highlights Strong Progress on Emissions Reduction GoalsOctober 2, 2023 | Behind the Markets (Ad)[BREAKING] New "Living Missile" to Replace Nuclear MissilesCBS News Reports: "It's an entirely new type of weapon." The New York Times Reports: "No existing defense can stop it." And one small company is building them for the Pentagon!September 15, 2023 | msn.comWhy Jim Cramer Warns Investors To Avoid This Stock Up Over 90% This YearSeptember 12, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comWTRG- A Steady Grower in the Water Utility SectorSeptember 6, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comEssential Utilities (WTRG) Down 11.2% Since Last Earnings Report: Can It Rebound?September 4, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comOne Essential Utilities Insider Raised Stake By 22% In Previous YearSeptember 1, 2023 | benzinga.comAmerican States Water Empowers Investors with Solid Returns and Fueling Shareholder ValueAugust 25, 2023 | benzinga.comElevating Investor Returns: Artesian Resources Delivers Strong Performance and Growing ProfitsAugust 19, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comEstimating The Fair Value Of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)August 18, 2023 | benzinga.comSustaining Growth Momentum: California Water Servs Gr Continues to Excel and Reports Rising ProfitsAugust 16, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comTop-Rated Stocks to Buy from a Variety of Sectors After EarningsAugust 8, 2023 | benzinga.comEssential Utilities named to Newsweek's Most Responsible Companies list for second consecutive yearAugust 8, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comEssential Utilities (WTRG) Q2 Earnings On Par With EstimatesAugust 8, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comEssential Utilities named to Newsweek’s Most Responsible Companies list for second consecutive yearAugust 8, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comEssential Utilities (WTRG) Q2 Earnings Meet EstimatesAugust 7, 2023 | benzinga.comEssential Utilities: Dividend InsightsAugust 7, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comEssential Utilities Reports Financial Results for Q2 2023August 5, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comEssential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) Has Announced That It Will Be Increasing Its Dividend To $0.3071August 2, 2023 | seekingalpha.comEssential Utilities: Low Risk, Likely No RewardJuly 28, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comEssential Utilities’ Aqua Pennsylvania Subsidiary Acquires Shenandoah Water SystemSee More Headlines Receive WTRG Stock News and Ratings via Email Sign-up to receive the latest news and ratings for Essential Utilities and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter. Email Address WTRG Company Calendar Last Earnings8/07/2023Ex-Dividend for 9/1 Dividend8/10/2023Dividend Payable9/01/2023Today10/02/2023Next Earnings (Estimated)11/06/2023Fiscal Year End12/31/2023Get Stock AlertsIndustry, Sector and Symbol Stock ExchangeNYSE Industry Water supply Sub-IndustryN/A SectorUtilities Current SymbolNYSE:WTRG CUSIPN/A CIK78128 Webwww.essential.co Phone(610) 527-8000Fax610-645-1061Employees3,187Year FoundedN/APrice Target and Rating Average Stock Price Forecast$49.40 High Stock Price Forecast$55.00 Low Stock Price Forecast$42.00 Forecasted Upside/Downside+43.9%Consensus RatingBuy Rating Score (0-4)3.00 Research Coverage4 Analysts Profitability EPS (Most Recent Fiscal Year)$1.76 Trailing P/E Ratio19.51 Forward P/E Ratio18.46 P/E Growth3.29Net Income$465.24 million Net Margins20.25% Pretax Margin18.63% Return on Equity8.54% Return on Assets2.96% Debt Debt-to-Equity Ratio1.18 Current Ratio0.53 Quick Ratio0.39 Sales & Book Value Annual Sales$2.29 billion Price / Sales3.97 Cash Flow$3.00 per share Price / Cash Flow11.45 Book Value$20.50 per share Price / Book1.67Miscellaneous Outstanding Shares264,510,000Free Float264,030,000Market Cap$9.08 billion OptionableOptionable Beta0.78 7 AI Stocks to Invest In: An Introduction to AI Investing For Self-Directed InvestorsAs the AI market heats up, investors who have a vision for artificial intelligence have the potential to see real returns. Learn about the industry as a whole as well as seven companies that are getting work done with the power of AI.Get This Free Report Key ExecutivesMr. Christopher H. Franklin (Age 58)Chairman, Pres & CEO Comp: $2.18MMr. Daniel J. Schuller (Age 53)Exec. VP & CFO Comp: $910.45kMr. Christopher Paul Luning (Age 55)Exec. VP & Gen. Counsel Mr. Matthew R. Rhodes (Age 45)Exec. VP of Strategy & Corp. Devel. Comp: $855.48kMs. Christina KellySr. VP & Chief HR OfficerMs. Colleen M. Arnold (Age 52)Pres of Aqua Water Comp: $535.72kMr. Robert A. Rubin (Age 60)Sr. VP, Controller & Chief Accounting Officer Mr. Sumit NairVP & Chief Information OfficerMs. Susan F. HaindlSr. VP & Chief Admin. OfficerMr. Brian DingerdissenVP of Investor Relations & TreasurerMore ExecutivesKey CompetitorsCompanhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESPNYSE:SBSAmerican States WaterNYSE:AWRCalifornia Water Service GroupNYSE:CWTAmerican Water WorksNYSE:AWKNRG EnergyNYSE:NRGView All CompetitorsInsiders & InstitutionsBarclays PLCBought 63,894 shares on 9/21/2023Ownership: 0.106%California State Teachers Retirement SystemBought 6,346 shares on 8/21/2023Ownership: 0.181%Osaic Holdings Inc.Sold 3,380 shares on 8/21/2023Ownership: 0.034%Teachers Retirement System of The State of KentuckyBought 3,931 shares on 8/21/2023Ownership: 0.016%Imprint Wealth LLCBought 20,913 shares on 8/17/2023Ownership: 0.008%View All Insider TransactionsView All Institutional Transactions WTRG Stock - Frequently Asked Questions Should I buy or sell Essential Utilities stock right now? 4 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Essential Utilities in the last twelve months. There are currently 4 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "buy" WTRG shares. View WTRG analyst ratings or view top-rated stocks. What is Essential Utilities' stock price forecast for 2023? 4 Wall Street analysts have issued 12-month price objectives for Essential Utilities' stock. Their WTRG share price forecasts range from $42.00 to $55.00. On average, they predict the company's share price to reach $49.40 in the next year. This suggests a possible upside of 43.9% from the stock's current price. View analysts price targets for WTRG or view top-rated stocks among Wall Street analysts. How have WTRG shares performed in 2023? Essential Utilities' stock was trading at $47.73 at the beginning of 2023. Since then, WTRG stock has decreased by 28.1% and is now trading at $34.33. View the best growth stocks for 2023 here. When is Essential Utilities' next earnings date? The company is scheduled to release its next quarterly earnings announcement on Monday, November 6th 2023. View our WTRG earnings forecast. How were Essential Utilities' earnings last quarter? Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August, 7th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.34. The business earned $436.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $469.07 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 20.25% and a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 8.54%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.31 EPS. How often does Essential Utilities pay dividends? What is the dividend yield for Essential Utilities? Essential Utilities announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, August 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.3071 per share on Friday, September 1st. This represents a $1.23 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 10th. This is an increase from the stock's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Read our dividend analysis for WTRG. What ETFs hold Essential Utilities' stock? ETFs with the largest weight of Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) stock in their portfolio include Global X Clean Water ETF (AQWA), Invesco S&P Global Water Index ETF (CGW), iShares Environmental Infrastructure and Industrials ETF (EFRA), Ecofin Global Water ESG Fund (EBLU), First Trust Water ETF (FIW), Invesco Water Resources ETF (PHO), Invesco Real Assets ESG ETF (IVRA) and ProShares S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (REGL). Is Essential Utilities a good dividend stock? Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) pays an annual dividend of $1.23 per share and currently has a dividend yield of 3.58%. The company has been increasing its dividend for 32 consecutive years, indicating the company has a strong committment to maintain and grow its dividend. The dividend payout ratio is 69.89%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%. Based on earnings estimates, WTRG will have a dividend payout ratio of 61.50% next year. This indicates that the company will be able to sustain or increase its dividend. Read our dividend analysis for WTRG. What guidance has Essential Utilities issued on next quarter's earnings? Essential Utilities updated its FY23 earnings guidance on Monday, August, 7th. The company provided EPS guidance of $1.85-1.90 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $1.86. What is Essential Utilities' stock symbol? Essential Utilities trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol "WTRG." How do I buy shares of Essential Utilities? Shares of WTRG stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include WeBull, Vanguard Brokerage Services, TD Ameritrade, E*TRADE, Robinhood, Fidelity, and Charles Schwab. Compare Top Brokerages Here. What is Essential Utilities' stock price today? One share of WTRG stock can currently be purchased for approximately $34.33. How much money does Essential Utilities make? Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) has a market capitalization of $9.08 billion and generates $2.29 billion in revenue each year. The company earns $465.24 million in net income (profit) each year or $1.76 on an earnings per share basis. How many employees does Essential Utilities have? The company employs 3,187 workers across the globe. How can I contact Essential Utilities? Essential Utilities' mailing address is 762 W. LANCASTER AVENUE, BRYN MAWR PA, 19010. The official website for the company is www.essential.co. The company can be reached via phone at (610) 527-8000, via email at investorrelations@essential.co, or via fax at 610-645-1061. This page (NYSE:WTRG) was last updated on 10/2/2023 by MarketBeat.com Staff Adding Choose a watchlist: Watchlist Adding You have already added five stocks to your watchlist. Upgrade to MarketBeat All Access to add more stocks to your watchlist. Adding Essential Utilities, Inc. Please log in to your account or sign up in order to add this asset to your watchlist. Get 30 Days of MarketBeat All Access Free Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools: Best-in-Class Portfolio Monitoring View the latest news, buy/sell ratings, SEC filings and insider transactions for your stocks. Compare your portfolio performance to leading indices and get personalized stock ideas based on your portfolio. Stock Ideas and Recommendations Get daily stock ideas from top-performing Wall Street analysts. 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