Should I buy or sell Essential Utilities stock right now?

4 Wall Street equities research 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 equities research analysts is that investors should "buy" WTRG shares. View WTRG analyst ratings or view top-rated stocks .

What is Essential Utilities' stock price target for 2024?

4 brokers have issued 12-month price objectives for Essential Utilities' shares. Their WTRG share price targets range from $42.00 to $45.00. On average, they predict the company's stock price to reach $43.00 in the next twelve months. This suggests a possible upside of 22.3% 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 2024?

Essential Utilities' stock was trading at $37.35 at the beginning of 2024. Since then, WTRG stock has decreased by 5.8% and is now trading at $35.17. View the best growth stocks for 2024 here .

When is Essential Utilities' next earnings date?

The company is scheduled to release its next quarterly earnings announcement on Thursday, May 2nd 2024. View our WTRG earnings forecast .

How can I listen to Essential Utilities' earnings call?

Essential Utilities will be holding an earnings conference call on Friday, May 3rd at 11:00 AM Eastern. Interested parties can register for or listen to the call using this link or dial in at 866-583-1035 with passcode "4938576".

How were Essential Utilities' earnings last quarter?

Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February, 23rd. The company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.01. The business earned $479.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $708.50 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 24.26% and a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 8.68%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 32.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.44 earnings per share.

How often does Essential Utilities pay dividends? What is the dividend yield for Essential Utilities?

Essential Utilities declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.3071 per share on Saturday, June 1st. This represents a $1.23 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This is a positive change from the stock's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Read our dividend analysis for WTRG .

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 3.63%. The company has been increasing its dividend for 31 consecutive years, indicating the company has a strong committment to maintain and grow its dividend. The dividend payout ratio is 66.13%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%. Based on earnings estimates, WTRG will have a dividend payout ratio of 58.29% next year. This indicates that the company will be able to sustain or increase its dividend. 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 iShares Environmental Infrastructure and Industrials ETF (EFRA) , Global X Clean Water ETF (AQWA) , Ecofin Global Water ESG Fund (EBLU) , Invesco Real Assets ESG ETF (IVRA) , First Trust Water ETF (FIW) , Invesco Water Resources ETF (PHO) , Invesco S&P Global Water Index ETF (CGW) and ProShares S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (REGL) .

What guidance has Essential Utilities issued on next quarter's earnings?

Essential Utilities updated its FY 2024 earnings guidance on Thursday, February, 22nd. The company provided EPS guidance of 1.960-2.000 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.010. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Who are Essential Utilities' major shareholders?

Essential Utilities' stock is owned by many different institutional and retail investors. Top institutional investors include Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. (0.07%), Hennessy Advisors Inc. (0.06%), Coston McIsaac & Partners (0.04%), Radnor Capital Management LLC (0.02%), Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC (0.01%) and Toth Financial Advisory Corp (0.01%). Insiders that own company stock include Chris Franklin , Colleen Arnold , Daniel Schuller , Ellen T Ruff and Robert A Rubin . View institutional ownership trends .

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 Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services. Compare Top Brokerages Here .

NYSE:WTRG

Essential Utilities (WTRG) Stock Price, News & Analysis

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$35.17

+0.66 (+1.91%)

(As of 04/18/2024 ET)

Compare

Today's Range: $34.58
▼
$35.23
50-Day Range: $33.88
▼
$37.05
52-Week Range: $32.07
▼
$44.05

Volume: 1.26 million shs
Average Volume: 1.78 million shs
Market Capitalization: $9.62 billion

P/E Ratio: 18.91
Dividend Yield: 3.50%
Price Target: $43.00

Get Essential Utilities alerts:

Essential Utilities MarketRank™ Stock Analysis

Analyst Rating: Buy
3.00 Rating Score
Upside/Downside: 22.3% Upside
$43.00 Price Target
Short Interest: Healthy
2.41% of Shares Sold Short
Dividend Strength: Strong
Based on Four Factors
Sustainability: -2.18
Upright™ Environmental Score
News Sentiment: 1.32
Based on 10 Articles This Week
Insider Trading: Selling Shares
$207,074 Sold Last Quarter
Proj. Earnings Growth: 5.50%
From $2.00 to $2.11 Per Share

Overall MarketRank^™

New Rank-Based ScoringMarketRank^™ is calculated by averaging available category scores (with extra weight given to analysis and valuation), then ranking the company's weighted average against that of other companies.

4.81 out of 5 stars

Utilities Sector

4th out of 90 stocks

Water Supply Industry

2nd out of 12 stocks

2.5

Analyst's Opinion

Consensus Rating
Essential 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.
Amount of Analyst Coverage
Essential Utilities has only been the subject of 1 research reports in the past 90 days.

3.0

Short Interest

Percentage of Shares Shorted
2.41% of the outstanding shares of Essential Utilities have been sold short.
Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover
Essential Utilities has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 3.7, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.
Change versus previous month
Short interest in Essential Utilities has recently increased by 11.30%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

5.0

Dividend Strength

Dividend Leadership
Essential Utilities is a leading dividend payer. It pays a dividend yield of 3.63%, putting its dividend yield in the top 25% of dividend-paying stocks.
Dividend Growth
Essential Utilities has been increasing its dividend for 31 years.
Dividend Coverage
The dividend payout ratio of Essential Utilities is 66.13%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.
Dividend Sustainability
Based on earnings estimates, Essential Utilities will have a dividend payout ratio of 58.29% next year. This indicates that Essential Utilities will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

3.1

Sustainability and ESG

Overall ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Score
Essential 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 Sustainability
The Environmental Impact score for Essential Utilities is -2.18.

4.1

News and Social Media Coverage

News Sentiment
Essential Utilities has a news sentiment score of 1.32. 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 0.48 average news sentiment score of Utilities companies.
News Coverage This Week
MarketBeat has tracked 10 news articles for Essential Utilities this week, compared to 4 articles on an average week.
Search Interest
12 people have searched for WTRG on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 300% compared to the previous 30 days.
MarketBeat Follows
10 people have added Essential Utilities to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 67% compared to the previous 30 days.

2.5

Company Ownership

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling
In the past three months, Essential Utilities insiders have sold more of their company's stock than they have bought. Specifically, they have bought $0.00 in company stock and sold $207,074.00 in company stock.
Percentage Held by Insiders
Only 0.21% of the stock of Essential Utilities is held by insiders.
Percentage Held by Institutions
74.78% of the stock of Essential Utilities is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

1.9

Earnings and Valuation

Earnings Growth
Earnings for Essential Utilities are expected to grow by 5.50% in the coming year, from $2.00 to $2.11 per share.
Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market
The P/E ratio of Essential Utilities is 18.91, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 142.54.
Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector
The P/E ratio of Essential Utilities is 18.91, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Utilities sector average P/E ratio of about 75.95.
Price to Earnings Growth Ratio
Essential Utilities has a PEG Ratio of 2.95. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued.
Price to Book Value per Share Ratio
Essential Utilities has a P/B Ratio of 1.63. P/B Ratios below 3 indicates that a company is reasonably valued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

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About Essential Utilities Stock (NYSE:WTRG)

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. In addition, the company provides utility service line protection solutions and repair services to households. It serves approximately 5.5 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, 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.

WTRG Stock Price History

30 days | 90 days | 365 days | Advanced Chart

WTRG Stock News Headlines

April 3, 2024 | insidertrades.com

Insider Selling: Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) CAO Sells 5,565 Shares of Stock

April 18, 2024 | businesswire.com

Essential Utilities Names Natalie Chesko as New President of Aqua New Jersey

April 18, 2024 | InvestorPlace (Ad)

The Next Nvidia?

April 17, 2024 | finance.yahoo.com

Aqua Virginia Earns State Excellence Award for 19th Consecutive Year

April 17, 2024 | businesswire.com

Aqua New Jersey Celebrates Completion of Newest PFAS Treatment Facility at its Green Avenue Well Station in Lawrence Township

April 17, 2024 | finance.yahoo.com

Essential Utilities Launches Third Annual Earth Day Celebration

April 15, 2024 | finance.yahoo.com

5.3% earnings growth over 3 years has not materialized into gains for Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) shareholders over that period

April 14, 2024 | investorplace.com

3 Stocks That Thrive in Turbulent Times: Buy Now for Massive Gains

April 18, 2024 | InvestorPlace (Ad)

The Next Nvidia?

April 14, 2024 | investorplace.com

Goldilocks Investing: 7 Mid-Cap Stocks That Are Just Right

April 10, 2024 | businesswire.com

Essential Utilities Releases Comment on EPA Promulgation of PFAS Maximum Contaminant Level

April 9, 2024 | investorplace.com

Eternal Equities: 3 Stocks to Buy and Hold Until You Retire

April 9, 2024 | msn.com

Essential Utilities Inc. Amplifies Community Support with Over $800,000 Donation to United Way

April 5, 2024 | businesswire.com

Essential Utilities and Employees Team Up for $800,000 Donation to United Way

April 4, 2024 | msn.com

Wall Street's Most Accurate Analysts Say Buy These 3 Utilities Stocks With Over 3% Dividend Yields

April 3, 2024 | businesswire.com

Essential Utilities Urges You to Spring Into Safety This Season

April 2, 2024 | msn.com

Essential Utilities Inc. to Unveil First-Quarter Earnings, Sets Date for Analyst Call

April 1, 2024 | investorplace.com

7 Defensive Stocks to Buy Based on the ‘Pawn Shop Indicator'

March 30, 2024 | nasdaq.com

Essential Utilities (WTRG) Shares Cross Above 200 DMA

March 29, 2024 | seekingalpha.com

Essential Utilities: A High-Quality Dividend Grower To Buy At A Discount

March 25, 2024 | businesswire.com

Essential Utilities to Report Earnings for Q1 2024

March 17, 2024 | finance.yahoo.com

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) Hasn't Managed To Accelerate Its Returns

March 3, 2024 | finance.yahoo.com

Essential Utilities Full Year 2023 Earnings: Revenues Disappoint

March 1, 2024 | investorplace.com

3 Water Stock Wonders to Quench Your Portfolio's Thirst for Profits

February 25, 2024 | barrons.com

Essential Utilities Inc.

February 24, 2024 | finance.yahoo.com

Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) Q4 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

February 24, 2024 | finance.yahoo.com

Q4 2023 Essential Utilities Inc Earnings Call

See More Headlines

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Company Calendar

Ex-Dividend for 3/1 Dividend: 2/08/2024
Last Earnings: 2/23/2024
Dividend Payable: 3/01/2024
Today: 4/18/2024
Next Earnings (Confirmed): 5/02/2024
Ex-Dividend for 6/1 Dividend: 5/09/2024
Dividend Payable: 6/01/2024
Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2024

Get Stock Alerts

Industry, Sector and Symbol

Stock Exchange: NYSE
Sector: Utilities
Industry: Water supply
Sub-Industry: N/A
Current Symbol: NYSE:WTRG
CUSIP: N/A
CIK: 78128
Web: www.essential.co
Phone: (610) 527-8000
Fax: 610-645-1061
Employees: 3,258
Year Founded: N/A

Price Target and Rating

Average Stock Price Target: $43.00
High Stock Price Target: $45.00
Low Stock Price Target: $42.00
Potential Upside/Downside: +23.5%
Consensus Rating: Buy
Rating Score (0-4): 3.00
Research Coverage: 4 Analysts

Profitability

EPS (Most Recent Fiscal Year): $1.86
Trailing P/E Ratio: 18.73
Forward P/E Ratio: 17.42
P/E Growth: 2.95
Net Income: $498.23 million
Net Margins: 24.26%
Pretax Margin: 21.02%
Return on Equity: 8.68%
Return on Assets: 3.06%

Debt

Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 1.16
Current Ratio: 0.62
Quick Ratio: 0.48

Sales & Book Value

Annual Sales: $2.05 billion
Price / Sales: 4.64
Cash Flow: $3.17 per share
Price / Cash Flow: 10.99
Book Value: $21.58 per share
Price / Book: 1.61

Miscellaneous

Outstanding Shares: 273,520,000
Free Float: 272,942,000
Market Cap: $9.53 billion
Optionable: Optionable
Beta: 0.82

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Key Executives

Mr. Christopher H. Franklin (Age 59)
Chairman, President & CEO
Comp: $2.44M
Mr. Daniel J. Schuller Ph.D. (Age 54)
Executive VP & CFO
Comp: $1M
Mr. Christopher Paul Luning (Age 56)
Executive VP & General Counsel
Comp: $824.8k
Mr. Matthew R. Rhodes (Age 46)
Executive Vice President of Strategy & Corporate Development
Comp: $922.71k
Ms. Christina Kelly
Senior VP & Chief Human Resources Officer
Ms. Colleen M. Arnold (Age 53)
President of Aqua Water
Comp: $592.55k
Mr. Robert A. Rubin (Age 61)
Senior VP, Controller & Chief Accounting Officer
Mr. Sumit Nair
VP & Chief Information Officer
Ms. Whitney S. Kellett
Senior Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer
Mr. Brian Dingerdissen
Vice President of Investor Relations & Treasurer

Key Competitors

View All Competitors

Insiders & Institutions

View All Insider Transactions
View All Institutional Transactions

WTRG Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

Should I buy or sell Essential Utilities stock right now?: 4 Wall Street equities research 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 equities research analysts is that investors should "buy" WTRG shares.
View WTRG analyst ratings or view top-rated stocks.
What is Essential Utilities' stock price target for 2024?: 4 brokers have issued 12-month price objectives for Essential Utilities' shares. Their WTRG share price targets range from $42.00 to $45.00. On average, they predict the company's stock price to reach $43.00 in the next twelve months. This suggests a possible upside of 22.3% 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 2024?: Essential Utilities' stock was trading at $37.35 at the beginning of 2024. Since then, WTRG stock has decreased by 5.8% and is now trading at $35.17.
View the best growth stocks for 2024 here.
When is Essential Utilities' next earnings date?: The company is scheduled to release its next quarterly earnings announcement on Thursday, May 2nd 2024.
View our WTRG earnings forecast.
How can I listen to Essential Utilities' earnings call?: Essential Utilities will be holding an earnings conference call on Friday, May 3rd at 11:00 AM Eastern. Interested parties can register for or listen to the call using this link or dial in at 866-583-1035 with passcode "4938576".
How were Essential Utilities' earnings last quarter?: Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February, 23rd. The company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.01. The business earned $479.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $708.50 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 24.26% and a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 8.68%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 32.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.44 earnings per share.

How often does Essential Utilities pay dividends? What is the dividend yield for Essential Utilities?: Essential Utilities declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.3071 per share on Saturday, June 1st. This represents a $1.23 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This is a positive change from the stock's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31.
Read our dividend analysis for WTRG.
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 3.63%. The company has been increasing its dividend for 31 consecutive years, indicating the company has a strong committment to maintain and grow its dividend. The dividend payout ratio is 66.13%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%. Based on earnings estimates, WTRG will have a dividend payout ratio of 58.29% next year. This indicates that the company will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.
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 iShares Environmental Infrastructure and Industrials ETF (EFRA), Global X Clean Water ETF (AQWA), Ecofin Global Water ESG Fund (EBLU), Invesco Real Assets ESG ETF (IVRA), First Trust Water ETF (FIW), Invesco Water Resources ETF (PHO), Invesco S&P Global Water Index ETF (CGW) and ProShares S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (REGL).
What guidance has Essential Utilities issued on next quarter's earnings?: Essential Utilities updated its FY 2024 earnings guidance on Thursday, February, 22nd. The company provided EPS guidance of 1.960-2.000 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.010. The company issued revenue guidance of -.
Who are Essential Utilities' major shareholders?: Essential Utilities' stock is owned by many different institutional and retail investors. Top institutional investors include Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. (0.07%), Hennessy Advisors Inc. (0.06%), Coston McIsaac & Partners (0.04%), Radnor Capital Management LLC (0.02%), Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC (0.01%) and Toth Financial Advisory Corp (0.01%). Insiders that own company stock include Chris Franklin, Colleen Arnold, Daniel Schuller, Ellen T Ruff and Robert A Rubin.
View institutional ownership trends.
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 Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.
Compare Top Brokerages Here.

This page (NYSE:WTRG) was last updated on 4/18/2024 by MarketBeat.com Staff

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Essential Utilities (WTRG) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Essential Utilities MarketRank™ Stock Analysis

Overall MarketRank™

Analyst's Opinion

Short Interest

Percentage of Shares Shorted

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Change versus previous month

Dividend Strength

Sustainability and ESG

Overall ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Score

Environmental Sustainability

News and Social Media Coverage

News Sentiment

News Coverage This Week

Search Interest

MarketBeat Follows

Company Ownership

Earnings and Valuation

About Essential Utilities Stock (NYSE:WTRG)

WTRG Stock Price History

WTRG Stock News Headlines

Company Calendar

Industry, Sector and Symbol

Price Target and Rating

Profitability

Debt

Sales & Book Value

Miscellaneous

Key Executives

Key Competitors

Insiders & Institutions

WTRG Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

Overall MarketRank^™