FY2028 Earnings Estimate for WTRG Issued By Seaport Res Ptn

Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) – Seaport Res Ptn issued their FY2028 EPS estimates for shares of Essential Utilities in a report issued on Friday, April 11th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst A. Storozynski expects that the company will post earnings of $2.50 per share for the year. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities’ current full-year earnings is $1.99 per share.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on WTRG. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.50.

Essential Utilities Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE:WTRG opened at $40.13 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $38.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.84. The company has a market capitalization of $11.06 billion, a PE ratio of 20.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.80. Essential Utilities has a 1-year low of $33.18 and a 1-year high of $41.78.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.01. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 7.89% and a net margin of 27.84%. The firm had revenue of $604.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $698.77 million.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WTRG. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Essential Utilities in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the 1st quarter worth $35,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in Essential Utilities by 75.0% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Essential Utilities in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.91%.

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.