Essential Utilities (WTRG) to Release Earnings on Thursday

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) will likely be posting its Q1 2026 results before the market opens on Thursday, May 7th. Analysts expect Essential Utilities to post earnings of $0.9050 per share and revenue of $782.90 million for the quarter. Individuals may visit the the company’s upcoming Q1 2026 earning results page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 11:00 AM ET.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.11. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 9.18% and a net margin of 24.91%.The firm had revenue of $699.11 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.60 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.67 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect Essential Utilities to post $2 EPS for the current fiscal year and $2 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Essential Utilities Stock Down 1.2%

NYSE:WTRG opened at $37.51 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $40.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.36. Essential Utilities has a 52-week low of $36.32 and a 52-week high of $42.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.80. The company has a market cap of $10.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.97 and a beta of 0.67.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.3426 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $1.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Argus raised Essential Utilities to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.20.

Institutional Trading of Essential Utilities

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at $638,000. Glenview Trust co increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 29.4% during the 2nd quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 6,978 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 1,586 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 6,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,085 shares in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Essential Utilities during the 2nd quarter worth about $234,000. Finally, Virtue Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Essential Utilities during the 4th quarter worth about $212,000. Institutional investors own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

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.