Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) Releases FY 2025 Earnings Guidance

by · The Markets Daily

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG – Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY 2025 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 2.070-2.110 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 2.120. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Essential Utilities Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of WTRG traded up $0.31 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $38.39. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,900,111 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,823,009. The firm has a market cap of $10.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.82. Essential Utilities has a 1-year low of $33.18 and a 1-year high of $42.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The company has a 50 day moving average of $39.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.75.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.06. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 10.10% and a net margin of 27.62%. Essential Utilities has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.070-2.110 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Essential Utilities will post 1.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.3426 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WTRG shares. Baird R W downgraded Essential Utilities from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded Essential Utilities from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective (down previously from $46.00) on shares of Essential Utilities in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Barclays increased their price objective on Essential Utilities from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Essential Utilities in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $44.57.

Get Our Latest Report on Essential Utilities

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTRG. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Essential Utilities by 168.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,000 after buying an additional 1,723 shares in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the 2nd quarter worth $234,000. Glenview Trust co grew its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 29.4% during the 2nd quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 6,978 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 1,586 shares in the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 34.4% during the 2nd quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 10,807 shares of the company’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 2,766 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 12,693 shares of the company’s stock worth $471,000 after purchasing an additional 676 shares in the last quarter. 74.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essential Utilities Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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