Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.06 EPS

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.06, Zacks reports. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 10.10% and a net margin of 27.62%. Essential Utilities updated its FY 2025 guidance to 2.070-2.110 EPS.

Essential Utilities Price Performance

Shares of WTRG traded up $0.31 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $38.39. 2,900,109 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,823,005. The stock has a market cap of $10.77 billion, a PE ratio of 16.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $39.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.75. Essential Utilities has a 12 month low of $33.18 and a 12 month high of $42.37.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Essential Utilities

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 168.3% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 1,723 shares during the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the 2nd quarter valued at about $234,000. Glenview Trust co boosted its position 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 valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 1,586 shares during the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S boosted its position 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 valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 2,766 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. boosted its position 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 valued at $471,000 after acquiring an additional 676 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WTRG. Zacks Research raised Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered Essential Utilities from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Essential Utilities from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Baird R W downgraded Essential Utilities from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $45.00 target price (down previously from $46.00) on shares of Essential Utilities in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Essential Utilities has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.57.

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.