Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.01 EPS

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.01, Zacks reports. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 7.89% and a net margin of 27.84%. The business had revenue of $604.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $698.77 million. Essential Utilities updated its FY 2025 guidance to 2.070-2.110 EPS.

Essential Utilities Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:WTRG opened at $38.05 on Friday. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.86. Essential Utilities has a 1 year low of $33.18 and a 1 year high of $41.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.45 billion, a PE ratio of 18.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.87.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a $0.3255 dividend. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.33.

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.