Equities Analysts Issue Forecasts for WTRG Q1 Earnings

Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) – Research analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for Essential Utilities in a report released on Wednesday, March 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.96 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.01. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities’ current full-year earnings is $1.99 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Essential Utilities’ Q3 2026 earnings at $0.35 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.59 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.98 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.39 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.63 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.39 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on WTRG. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $42.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Barclays set a $38.00 price target on Essential Utilities and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essential Utilities in a report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $43.20.

Essential Utilities Price Performance

Shares of WTRG opened at $40.04 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.12 and a beta of 0.82. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $39.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $39.13. Essential Utilities has a twelve month low of $36.32 and a twelve month high of $42.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.11. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 24.91% and a return on equity of 9.18%. The company had revenue of $699.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.60 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.67 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essential Utilities

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Essential Utilities in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 1,163.8% in the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 733 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be given a $0.3426 dividend. This represents a $1.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.99%.

Trending Headlines about Essential Utilities

Here are the key news stories impacting Essential Utilities this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised several forward-quarter and full-year EPS forecasts (small bumps to Q3/ Q4 2026 and Q3/ Q4 2027 and a modest lift to FY2027 to $2.39 from $2.38), signaling a slightly improved longer‑term earnings outlook that could support valuation recovery. (Zacks research notes)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus still shows a lower “current” full‑year estimate (~$1.99), and the street’s average recommendation remains a “Hold,” indicating limited near-term bullish conviction. Analyst Ratings Article
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut short‑term quarter forecasts (notably Q1 2026 and Q1 2027 estimates were trimmed), which raises concern about near-term earnings momentum and may drive short-term selling pressure. (Zacks research notes)
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage and commentary about recent merger headlines have prompted calls to “reassess” the stock, adding uncertainty around strategic direction and integration implications that can depress the share price. Is It Time To Reassess…

About Essential Utilities

Essential Utilities, Inc, formerly known as Aqua America, is a publicly traded water and natural gas utility holding company. Through its regulated water and wastewater subsidiaries, the company provides essential water services to residential, commercial and industrial customers. In addition, Essential Utilities delivers natural gas distribution services in Pennsylvania through its Peoples Gas subsidiary, offering integrated utility solutions under a unified corporate framework.

The company traces its roots to the Philadelphia Suburban Water Company, founded in 1886 to serve growing communities outside Philadelphia.