What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for WTRG FY2026 Earnings?

Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) – Analysts at Zacks Research cut their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Essential Utilities in a research note issued on Wednesday, May 27th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings of $2.10 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $2.24. The consensus estimate for Essential Utilities’ current full-year earnings is $2.25 per share.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on WTRG. UBS Group upgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $43.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday. Argus upgraded Essential Utilities to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essential Utilities in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.80.

Essential Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of Essential Utilities stock opened at $36.69 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.62 and a beta of 0.67. Essential Utilities has a 52 week low of $36.32 and a 52 week high of $42.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $39.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.01.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $861.76 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $782.90 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 21.82% and a return on equity of 8.34%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.03 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essential Utilities

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at $154,176,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Essential Utilities by 587.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,071,929 shares of the company’s stock valued at $162,472,000 after buying an additional 3,479,762 shares during the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new position in Essential Utilities in the 3rd quarter valued at $128,137,000. Amundi grew its position in Essential Utilities by 33.4% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 6,335,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $243,023,000 after buying an additional 1,586,622 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Essential Utilities by 611.4% in the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,744,679 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,258,000 after buying an additional 1,499,450 shares during the last quarter. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essential Utilities News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several longer-term EPS forecasts for Essential Utilities, including FY2027 and FY2028, signaling expectations for continued earnings growth. Analyst consensus recommendation of Hold
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ overall consensus rating on Essential Utilities remains “Hold,” suggesting a balanced outlook rather than a strong buy or sell call. Analyst consensus recommendation of Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research lowered its FY2026 earnings estimate for Essential Utilities to $2.10 per share from $2.24, signaling softer near-term profit expectations versus consensus. Zacks cuts FY2026 estimate

Essential Utilities Company Profile

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.