NYSE:WTRG Essential Utilities (WTRG) Stock Price, News & Analysis → World’s biggest multibillionaire investor is buying THIS by the ton [picture] (From Stansberry Research) (Ad) Free WTRG Stock Alerts $36.71 +0.17 (+0.47%) (As of 01:10 PM ET) Add Compare Share Share Today's Range$36.01▼$36.7650-Day Range$33.88▼$37.0552-Week Range$32.07▼$43.84Volume407,903 shsAverage Volume1.82 million shsMarket Capitalization$10.04 billionP/E Ratio19.74Dividend Yield3.35%Price Target$43.00 Stock AnalysisStock AnalysisAnalyst ForecastsChartCompetitorsDividendEarningsFinancialsHeadlinesInsider TradesOptions ChainOwnershipSEC FilingsShort InterestSocial MediaSustainabilityStock AnalysisAnalyst ForecastsChartCompetitorsDividendEarningsFinancialsHeadlinesInsider TradesOptions ChainOwnershipSEC FilingsShort InterestSocial MediaSustainability Get Essential Utilities alerts: Email Address Essential Utilities MarketRank™ Stock AnalysisAnalyst RatingBuy3.00 Rating ScoreUpside/Downside17.0% Upside$43.00 Price TargetShort InterestHealthy1.96% of Shares Sold ShortDividend StrengthStrongBased on Four FactorsSustainability-2.18Upright™ Environmental ScoreNews Sentiment0.85Based on 9 Articles This WeekInsider TradingSelling Shares$207,074 Sold Last QuarterProj. Earnings Growth5.50%From $2.00 to $2.11 Per ShareSee Full Details Hide Full Details 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.4.89 out of 5 starsUtilities Sector7th out of 89 stocksWater Supply Industry2nd out of 12 stocks 2.5 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.Amount of Analyst CoverageEssential Utilities has only been the subject of 1 research reports in the past 90 days. Previous Next 5.0 Short Interest Percentage of Shares Shorted1.96% 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 decreased by 18.64%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly. Previous Next 4.2 Dividend Strength Dividend YieldEssential Utilities pays a meaningful dividend of 3.39%, higher than the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.Dividend GrowthEssential Utilities has been increasing its dividend for 31 years.Dividend CoverageThe dividend payout ratio of Essential Utilities is 66.13%. 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 58.29% 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 3.8 News and Social Media Coverage News SentimentEssential Utilities has a news sentiment score of 0.85. 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 WeekMarketBeat has tracked 9 news articles for Essential Utilities this week, compared to 5 articles on an average week.Search Interest11 people have searched for WTRG on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 120% compared to the previous 30 days.MarketBeat Follows10 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. Previous Next 2.5 Company Ownership Insider Buying vs. Insider SellingIn 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 InsidersOnly 0.21% of the stock of Essential Utilities is held by insiders.Percentage Held by Institutions74.78% of the stock of Essential Utilities is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company. Previous Next 1.9 Earnings and Valuation Earnings GrowthEarnings 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 MarketThe P/E ratio of Essential Utilities is 19.75, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 139.57.Price to Earnings Ratio vs. SectorThe P/E ratio of Essential Utilities is 19.75, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Utilities sector average P/E ratio of about 79.39.Price to Earnings Growth RatioEssential Utilities has a PEG Ratio of 3.15. 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 1.70. 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 Ad Stansberry ResearchWorld’s biggest multibillionaire investor is buying THIS by the ton [picture]Don't Buy Bullion or Mining Stocks. Do THIS Instead As gold continues to break all-time highs, many folks will run out and buy bullion or mining stocks. That's not the best way to ride this gold bull market higher. Note, this showed a 995% gain the last time we shared this same investment idea.Click here to find out what to do. 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.Read More WTRG Stock Price History View Price History Chart DataSkip Price History Chart 30 days | 90 days | 365 days | Advanced Chart WTRG Stock News HeadlinesApril 3, 2024 | insidertrades.comInsider Selling: Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) CAO Sells 5,565 Shares of StockApril 25, 2024 | businesswire.comEssential Utilities Donated $5.5 Million in 2023 to Strengthen Communities Across Service TerritoryApril 25, 2024 | InvestorPlace (Ad)The Next Nvidia?The Next Nvidia? Wall Street legend has just uncovered one tiny Maryland company that could become the next Nvidia. Few in the media are talking about this story yet… but in the next 6 months that’s all they’ll talk about.April 25, 2024 | americanbankingnews.comEssential Utilities (WTRG) Scheduled to Post Earnings on ThursdayApril 23, 2024 | msn.comEssential Utilities Inc. Appoints Natalie Chesko as President of Aqua New JerseyApril 23, 2024 | americanbankingnews.comEssential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) Given Average Recommendation of "Buy" by BrokeragesApril 20, 2024 | seekingalpha.com8 Stocks I'm Buying Amid The Dividend Stock SelloffApril 18, 2024 | businesswire.comEssential Utilities Names Natalie Chesko as New President of Aqua New JerseyApril 25, 2024 | InvestorPlace (Ad)The Next Nvidia?The Next Nvidia? Wall Street legend has just uncovered one tiny Maryland company that could become the next Nvidia. Few in the media are talking about this story yet… but in the next 6 months that’s all they’ll talk about.April 17, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comAqua Virginia Earns State Excellence Award for 19th Consecutive YearApril 17, 2024 | businesswire.comAqua New Jersey Celebrates Completion of Newest PFAS Treatment Facility at its Green Avenue Well Station in Lawrence TownshipApril 17, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comEssential Utilities Launches Third Annual Earth Day CelebrationApril 15, 2024 | finance.yahoo.com5.3% earnings growth over 3 years has not materialized into gains for Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) shareholders over that periodApril 14, 2024 | investorplace.com3 Stocks That Thrive in Turbulent Times: Buy Now for Massive GainsApril 14, 2024 | investorplace.comGoldilocks Investing: 7 Mid-Cap Stocks That Are Just RightApril 10, 2024 | businesswire.comEssential Utilities Releases Comment on EPA Promulgation of PFAS Maximum Contaminant LevelApril 9, 2024 | investorplace.comEternal Equities: 3 Stocks to Buy and Hold Until You RetireApril 9, 2024 | msn.comEssential Utilities Inc. Amplifies Community Support with Over $800,000 Donation to United WayApril 5, 2024 | businesswire.comEssential Utilities and Employees Team Up for $800,000 Donation to United WayApril 4, 2024 | msn.comWall Street's Most Accurate Analysts Say Buy These 3 Utilities Stocks With Over 3% Dividend YieldsApril 3, 2024 | businesswire.comEssential Utilities Urges You to Spring Into Safety This SeasonApril 2, 2024 | msn.comEssential Utilities Inc. to Unveil First-Quarter Earnings, Sets Date for Analyst CallApril 1, 2024 | investorplace.com7 Defensive Stocks to Buy Based on the ‘Pawn Shop Indicator'March 30, 2024 | nasdaq.comEssential Utilities (WTRG) Shares Cross Above 200 DMAMarch 29, 2024 | seekingalpha.comEssential Utilities: A High-Quality Dividend Grower To Buy At A DiscountMarch 25, 2024 | businesswire.comEssential Utilities to Report Earnings for Q1 2024March 17, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comEssential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) Hasn't Managed To Accelerate Its ReturnsSee 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 Company Calendar Ex-Dividend for 3/1 Dividend2/08/2024Last Earnings2/23/2024Dividend Payable3/01/2024Today4/25/2024Next Earnings (Confirmed)5/02/2024Ex-Dividend for 6/1 Dividend5/09/2024Dividend Payable6/01/2024Fiscal Year End12/31/2024Get Stock AlertsIndustry, Sector and Symbol Stock ExchangeNYSE SectorUtilities Industry Water supply Sub-IndustryN/A Current SymbolNYSE:WTRG CUSIPN/A CIK78128 Webwww.essential.co Phone(610) 527-8000Fax610-645-1061Employees3,258Year FoundedN/APrice Target and Rating Average Stock Price Target$43.00 High Stock Price Target$45.00 Low Stock Price Target$42.00 Potential Upside/Downside+17.7%Consensus RatingBuy Rating Score (0-4)3.00 Research Coverage4 Analysts Profitability EPS (Most Recent Fiscal Year)$1.86 Trailing P/E Ratio19.65 Forward P/E Ratio18.27 P/E Growth3.12Net Income$498.23 million Net Margins24.26% Pretax Margin21.02% Return on Equity8.68% Return on Assets3.06% Debt Debt-to-Equity Ratio1.16 Current Ratio0.62 Quick Ratio0.48 Sales & Book Value Annual Sales$2.05 billion Price / Sales4.87 Cash Flow$3.14 per share Price / Cash Flow11.65 Book Value$21.58 per share Price / Book1.69Miscellaneous Outstanding Shares273,520,000Free Float272,942,000Market Cap$9.99 billion OptionableOptionable Beta0.82 Investing Strategies To Help Grow Your Retirement IncomeNeed to stretch out your 401K or Roth IRA plan? Use these time-tested investing strategies to grow the monthly retirement income that your stock portfolio generates.Get This Free Report Key ExecutivesMr. Christopher H. Franklin (Age 59)Chairman, President & CEO Comp: $2.44MMr. Daniel J. Schuller Ph.D. (Age 54)Executive VP & CFO Comp: $1MMr. Christopher Paul Luning (Age 56)Executive VP & General Counsel Comp: $824.8kMr. Matthew R. Rhodes (Age 46)Executive Vice President of Strategy & Corporate Development Comp: $922.71kMs. Christina KellySenior VP & Chief Human Resources OfficerMs. Colleen M. Arnold (Age 53)President of Aqua Water Comp: $592.55kMr. Robert A. Rubin (Age 61)Senior VP, Controller & Chief Accounting Officer Mr. Sumit NairVP & Chief Information OfficerMs. Whitney S. KellettSenior Vice President & Chief Administrative OfficerMr. Brian DingerdissenVice President of Investor Relations & TreasurerMore ExecutivesKey CompetitorsCompanhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESPNYSE:SBSCalifornia Water Service GroupNYSE:CWTAmerican States WaterNYSE:AWRAmerican Water WorksNYSE:AWKPinnacle West CapitalNYSE:PNWView All CompetitorsInsiders & InstitutionsZurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Sold 27,005 shares on 4/25/2024Ownership: 0.071%Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.Sold 714 shares on 4/25/2024Ownership: 0.029%Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.Sold 569 shares on 4/25/2024Ownership: 0.027%Assenagon Asset Management S.A.Bought 628 shares on 4/24/2024Ownership: 0.004%CENTRAL TRUST CoBought 1,150 shares on 4/24/2024Ownership: 0.003%View All Insider TransactionsView All Institutional Transactions WTRG Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions Should I buy or sell Essential Utilities stock right now? 4 Wall Street 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 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 equities research analysts have issued twelve-month price objectives for Essential Utilities' stock. Their WTRG share price targets range from $42.00 to $45.00. On average, they predict the company's share price to reach $43.00 in the next year. This suggests a possible upside of 17.0% 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 on January 1st, 2024. Since then, WTRG shares have decreased by 1.6% and is now trading at $36.74. View the best growth stocks for 2024 here. Are investors shorting Essential Utilities? Essential Utilities saw a decline in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 5,370,000 shares, a decline of 18.6% from the March 31st total of 6,600,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,790,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. View Essential Utilities' Short Interest. 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) released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February, 23rd. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $479.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $708.50 million. Essential Utilities had a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 8.68% and a net margin of 24.26%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 32.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.44 EPS. 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.3071 per share on Saturday, June 1st. This represents a $1.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. This is an increase 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 3.39%. 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 Macquarie Global Listed Infrastructure ETF (BILD), Global X Clean Water ETF (AQWA), Invesco Real Assets ESG ETF (IVRA), iShares Environmental Infrastructure and Industrials ETF (EFRA), First Trust Water ETF (FIW), Invesco Water Resources ETF (PHO), Invesco S&P Global Water Index ETF (CGW) and Ecofin Global Water ESG Fund (EBLU). 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 earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 1.960-2.000 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 2.010. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Who are Essential Utilities' major shareholders? Essential Utilities' stock is owned by many different retail and institutional investors. Top institutional shareholders include Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. (0.20%), Maryland State Retirement & Pension System (0.09%), Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank (0.07%), Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. (0.07%), Hennessy Advisors Inc. (0.06%) and Amalgamated Bank (0.05%). 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 4/25/2024 by MarketBeat.com Staff From Our PartnersThe Best AI Stock to Own in the World Today is Trading for Just $25Banyan Hill PublishingConflict In Israel Sends Gold Soaring ???? 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