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

Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) – Analysts at Zacks Research reduced their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Essential Utilities in a report released on Wednesday, May 27th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will earn $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.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last issued its 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $782.90 million. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 8.34% and a net margin of 21.82%.Essential Utilities’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.03 earnings per share.

Several other brokerages have also commented on WTRG. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essential Utilities in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Argus upgraded shares of Essential Utilities to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $43.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, four have issued 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 target price of $42.80.

Essential Utilities Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WTRG 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 one year low of $36.32 and a one year high of $42.37. The company’s fifty day moving average is $39.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.95.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTRG. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at about $154,176,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 3,479,762 shares during the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in Essential Utilities in the 3rd quarter valued at about $128,137,000. Amundi raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 1,586,622 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 1,499,450 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

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.