Essential UtilitiesWTRG
WTRG
About: Essential Utilities is a Pennsylvania-based holding company for us water, wastewater, and natural gas distribution utilities. The company's water business serves 3 million people in eight states. Its largest service territory is in Pennsylvania, primarily suburban Philadelphia. Its Peoples subsidiary serves more than 740,000 gas distribution customers in Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Essential also owns nonregulated market-based water and energy services businesses.
Employees: 3,258
0
Funds holding %
of 7,139 funds
0
Analysts bullish %
of 3 analysts
Fund manager confidence
Based on 2024 Q4 regulatory filings by fund managers ($100M+ AUM)
2.43% more ownership
Funds ownership: 76.41% [Q3] → 78.84% (+2.43%) [Q4]
5% more first-time investments, than exits
New positions opened: 67 | Existing positions closed: 64
2% less capital invested
Capital invested by funds: $8.01B [Q3] → $7.86B (-$146M) [Q4]
4% less funds holding
Funds holding: 618 [Q3] → 594 (-24) [Q4]
27% less repeat investments, than reductions
Existing positions increased: 177 | Existing positions reduced: 243
47% less call options, than puts
Call options by funds: $1.49M | Put options by funds: $2.8M
Research analyst outlook
3 Wall Street Analysts provided 1 year price targets over the past 3 months
Low target
$39
7%
upside
Avg. target
$41
11%
upside
High target
$42
15%
upside
3 analyst ratings
2 positive
67%
1 neutral
33%
0 negative
0%
Jefferies Julien Dumoulin-Smith 55% 1-year accuracy 87 / 158 met price target | 12%upside $41 | Buy Upgraded | 28 Jan 2025 |
UBS Gregg Orrill 17% 1-year accuracy 1 / 6 met price target | 15%upside $42 | Buy Maintained | 14 Jan 2025 |
Wells Fargo Jonathan Reeder 60% 1-year accuracy 9 / 15 met price target | 7%upside $39 | Equal-Weight Downgraded | 7 Jan 2025 |
Financial journalist opinion
Based on 6 articles about WTRG published over the past 30 days
Neutral
Business Wire
2 days ago
Essential Utilities Declares June 2025 Dividend
BRYN MAWR, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The board of directors of Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE: WTRG) today declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.3255 per share, payable June 2, 2025, to all shareholders of record on May 13, 2025. The June 2025 dividend payment of $0.3255 per share represents a $0.0184, or 6.0% increase over the June 2024 dividend payment of $0.3071 per share. Essential Utilities has paid consecutive quarterly cash dividends for 80 years. About Essential Essential Utilities, Inc.
Positive
Seeking Alpha
1 week ago
7 Stocks And 1 ETF I'm Buying As Inflation Is Lower Than It Looks
The January 2025 CPI report shows inflation isn't in a sustained rebound, with temporary factors like shelter CPI, wildfires, and bird flu driving higher-than-expected inflation. The labor market shows mixed signals, with private sector hiring slowing but government hiring and residential construction employment remaining strong. Deportations could change this. The stock market appears richly valued across most sectors, not just the top 10 mega-cap names, warranting caution despite some undervalued opportunities.
Neutral
Business Wire
3 weeks ago
Aqua Pennsylvania Acquires Greenville Sanitary Authority Wastewater System in Mercer County
BRYN MAWR, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE: WTRG) announced today its Aqua Pennsylvania subsidiary has finalized its $18 million purchase of the Greenville Sanitary Authority's wastewater system in Mercer County, PA. The system serves Greenville Borough, Hempfield and West Salem Townships. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) approved the sale on December 12, 2024. This is the first transaction approved by the Pennsylvania PUC since implementing improvements ov.
Positive
Seeking Alpha
3 weeks ago
10 Undervalued Dividend Growth Stocks: January 2025
I rank a selection of undervalued dividend growth stocks in Dividend Radar and present the ten top-ranked stocks for consideration. I use two valuation screens, one based on my fair value estimate, and another comparing each stock's forward dividend yield with its 5-year average dividend yield. To rank stocks, I do a quality assessment and sort candidates by quality scores, breaking ties with additional metrics.
Positive
Seeking Alpha
4 weeks ago
10 Stocks I'm Buying As A New Government Takes Power
Global warming isn't just a "woke" issue; it has real financial implications for energy investments. DOGE has lofty and worthy goals, but the reality is that Congress controls the purse strings. Delayed Onset Tariff Syndrome (DOTS) will impact global trade and investment strategies. Exactly how remains in question.
Positive
Seeking Alpha
4 weeks ago
These Could Be The 10 Best Deep Value Dividend Aristocrat Bargains For February
The market's recent pullback is over. The S&P has hit record highs, driven by strong earnings growth potential through 2027. Despite the S&P 500's historically high PEGY ratio, robust growth forecasts (10%–15% annual EPS through 2026) mean valuations alone won't necessarily trigger a bear market. These 10‐stock dividend aristocrats are 37% undervalued. They offer an average yield of 3.4% and, if they revert to fair value, the potential to deliver up to 78% upside in 2025.
Positive
Seeking Alpha
1 month ago
7 Stocks I'm Buying Amid This Goldilocks (For Now) Economy
There is an often overlooked difference between income investing and dividend growth investing. The two are not the same. Timely charts showing that inflation is even more subdued than the official CPI metrics show, but also what threatens to disrupt the disinflationary trend. A discussion of three books dividend growth investors would benefit from reading. Only one is specifically about dividend growth investing.
Neutral
Business Wire
1 month ago
Essential Utilities Earns Newsweek's ‘America's Most Responsible Companies' Recognition for Fourth Consecutive Year
BRYN MAWR, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the fourth consecutive year, Essential Utilities, one of the largest water, wastewater and natural gas providers in the U.S., has earned a place among America's Most Responsible Companies, as recognized by Newsweek. This distinction underscores Essential's dedication to integrating meaningful environmental and social business practices. “At Essential Utilities, we are driven by a deep responsibility to our customers, communities, and the environment. Our com.
Positive
Seeking Alpha
1 month ago
A Dozen Stocks I'm Buying As Rising Interest Rates Break The Market
Interest rate peaks often cause short-term S&P 500 selloffs, especially for REITs. I retain hope that REITs may decouple from 10-year Treasury yields once rates stabilize. Baby Boomers' economic impact is profound, influencing inflation, wages, and consumption patterns, with Millennials having a smaller effect at later ages in life. Debating whether dividend growth investors should buy Magnificent 7 stocks, I find GOOGL compelling for its reasonable valuation and growth potential.
Positive
The Motley Fool
1 month ago
3 Dividend Stocks That Are Too Cheap to Ignore and Worth Buying in 2025
The S&P 500 is coming off of back-to-back years of 20%-plus annual gains for the first time in over 25 years. But corporate earnings haven't grown at the same rate, so many companies' valuations have become more expensive.
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