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WTRG Stock Forecast: Essential Utilities, Inc. Price Predictions for 2026-2027

Last close, 9 Sept 2026
$42
+0.14% on the day

The 7 Wall Street analysts covering Essential Utilities, Inc. hold a median 12-month price target of $41 — -2.4% from the last close. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model, run across ~4,600 US stocks, ranks it 27 of 100 as at 8 Sept 2026 — in the lower half.

Market cap
$11.9B
Ticker Nerd rank
27 / 100
Median analyst target
$41
Analysts covering
7
Revenue$530.9M+3.1% y/y
Operating income$193.3M
Net income$105.7M
Free cash flow−$69.3M
Quarterly, 8 quarters to 30 June 2026 · latest quarter's figure shown
Total return, dividends reinvested
1W
+2.2%
1M
+5.8%
YTD
+12.5%
1Y
+13.7%
From 52W high
0.0%
From 52W low
+17.6%
$36
$42
52-week range, adjusted closes · the dot is the last close
Ticker Nerd rank

WTRG stock analysis: one number for the whole business

Consensus tells you what everyone already believes. The model scores Essential Utilities, Inc. on its factor families — the same systematic rank behind the Ticker Nerd portfolio.

Where the model ranks itAs at 8 Sept 2026
27 / 100

Percentile across ~4,600 US stocks on Ticker Nerd’s systematic factor model. Higher is better. How the model is built and tested

Volatility
74
Momentum
59
Value
58
Revisions
46
Quality
40
Accruals
37
Growth
35
Issuance
30
Size
14

Volatility (74): The share price has been relatively steady.

Issuance (30): The company has been issuing shares or taking on financing, diluting existing holders.

Size (14): Larger than most of the companies we track — more scrutinised, less often mispriced.

Built and run by Aslam Ghouse, an ex-Goldman Sachs quant trader with fourteen years in markets.

Wall Street

WTRG stock forecast 2026-2027: analyst price targets & predictions

The bullish and bearish analyst opinions on WTRG, reported as data — targets and ratings, the market's view beside the model's.

Share price and the analyst range, 12 monthsAdjusted close, US dollars
$36$38$40$42$44$46$48Oct 25Jan 26Apr 26Jul 26WTRGHigh $48Median $41Low $38

Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Data provided by Twelve Data

What Wall Street says7 analysts
2 Buy3 Hold2 Sell
Low $38Median $41High $48

The green dot is the last close — the median target sits −2.4% from it.

Recent analyst actionsNewest first
DateFirmActionRatingTarget
15 July 2026BarclaysMaintainsUnderweight$38 → $40
15 July 2026BarclaysMaintainsUnderweight—
2 July 2026UBSMaintainsBuy—
29 May 2026UBSUpgradeBuy—
17 Dec 2025BarclaysDowngradeUnderweight—
28 Oct 2025JefferiesDowngradeHold—
28 Oct 2025UBSDowngradeNeutral—
27 Oct 2025Janney Montgomery ScottDowngradeNeutral—
10 Oct 2025BarclaysMaintainsOverweight—
10 Oct 2025JefferiesMaintainsBuy—
2 Oct 2025BarclaysInitiatesOverweight—
15 Aug 2025UBSMaintainsBuy—
4 Aug 2025BairdMaintainsOutperform—
13 May 2025BairdMaintainsOutperform—
4 Apr 2025BairdMaintainsOutperform—
5 Mar 2025Evercore ISI GroupMaintainsOutperform—
27 Feb 2025Wells FargoMaintainsEqual-Weight—
28 Jan 2025JefferiesUpgradeBuy—
14 Jan 2025UBSMaintainsBuy—
7 Jan 2025Wells FargoDowngradeEqual-Weight—

Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Market Radar

This page is one stock. Monday covers all of them.

Computed off the Friday close and sent before the US open.

Market Radar reports the week’s largest rank changes across roughly 4,600 US stocks, the factor behind each one, and where the market went. WTRG appears on the weeks it earns a place.

Free, every Monday. Unsubscribe any time.

Performance

WTRG vs the S&P 500

Both lines are total return — dividends reinvested — so the comparison is honest on both sides.

Over the twelve months to 9 Sept 2026, Essential Utilities, Inc. returned +13.7% against +18.5% for the S&P 500, dividends included.

WTRG vs S&P 500, last 12 monthsTotal return, rebased to 100
100105110115120Oct 25Jan 26Apr 26Jul 26WTRGS&P 500

Download this chart as an image — free to reuse; link this page as the source.

Data provided by Twelve Data

Estimates

WTRG analyst estimate revisions

Not the forecast itself — the direction analysts are revising it. Revision direction is one of the model's factor families.

Which way the estimates are movingNext fiscal year
EPS revision, 90 days
−0.7%
Analysts raising
1
Analysts cutting
1
Fundamentals

Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) financial data

A margin means little on its own. Each bar marks where the figure sits across the whole US universe we score.

Valuation
Trailing P/E
21.5×

Cheaper than 36% of US stocks

Price / sales
4.6×

Cheaper than 27% of US stocks

Price / book
1.7×

Cheaper than 52% of US stocks

EV / EBITDA
15.1×

Cheaper than 23% of US stocks

Growth & margins
Revenue growth (YoY)
3.1%

Higher than 34% of US stocks

Earnings growth (YoY)
−2.0%

Higher than 34% of US stocks

Gross margin
62.4%

Higher than 76% of US stocks

Operating margin
35.4%

Higher than 90% of US stocks

Net margin
21.6%

Higher than 83% of US stocks

Returns & dividend
Return on equity
8.1%

Higher than 59% of US stocks

Return on assets
3.0%

Higher than 65% of US stocks

Dividend yield
3.4%

Higher than 71% of US dividend payers

Bars mark the percentile across the ~4,600 US stocks Ticker Nerd covers, among those reporting the figure.

Key statistics

Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) statistics: revenue, profit & scale

The headline figures, each with its date. Every row carries its own link — cite it straight from here.

  • Essential Utilities, Inc. has a market value of $11.9B and an enterprise value of $20.4B.

  • Revenue in the twelve months to 30 June 2026: $2.6B. The latest quarter grew 3.1% year on year.

  • Net income over the same four quarters: $554.9M, a 21.6% net margin.

  • Diluted earnings per share, trailing twelve months: $1.96.

  • Free cash flow in the twelve months to 30 June 2026: −$451.9M.

  • Essential Utilities, Inc. spent $3.0M on share buybacks and $387.3M on dividends in the twelve months to 30 June 2026.

  • Shares outstanding: 283.8M.

  • Trailing P/E: 21.5×; forward P/E: 17.7× — the forward figure prices analyst consensus estimates, not reported earnings.

  • Forward dividend yield: 3.44%, paying out 70% of earnings.

  • Essential Utilities, Inc. employs 3,303 people — $778K of revenue per employee.

Statement figures: company filings via Twelve Data, four quarters to 30 June 2026 · market figures as at 10 Sept 2026

Data provided by Twelve Data

Peers

WTRG vs competitors

The nearest names by industry and size, scored by the same model — like for like.

Its peer group, ranked by the same modelUtilities - Regulated Water
CompanyMarket capTKN rank
WTRGEssential Utilities, Inc.$11.9B
27
AWKAmerican Water Works Co., Inc.$27.4B
34
AWRAmerican States Water Co.$3.5B
83
CWTCalifornia Water Service Group$3.0B
39
HTOH2O America$2.6B
23
MSEXMiddlesex Water Co.$1.1B
31
PNWPinnacle West Capital Corp.*$11.9B
35

* Nearest Utilities names by size — few utilities - regulated water companies of this scale trade in the US universe.

Look up any of the roughly 4,600 stocks we score.

The rank is the raw material. Whether the rules would actually own Essential Utilities, Inc. — and when they’d sell — is the membership. See the Ticker Nerd 20 →

News

Latest WTRG news & analysis

Essential Utilities (WTRG) Up 5% Since Last Earnings Report: Can It Continue?

Zacks Investment Research · 3 Sept 2026neutral

Essential Utilities (WTRG) reported earnings 30 days ago, and its stock has risen 5% since that report. The article raises the question of what comes next for the stock following this performance.

Why it matters — A WTRG watcher would care because the stock's movement since the last earnings report helps gauge how the market is responding to the company's most recent results.

Will Customer Growth Support Essential Utilities ' Long-Term Earnings?

Zacks Investment Research · 31 Aug 2026positive

Zacks Investment Research reported on Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG), noting that its expanding customer base, acquisitions, and infrastructure spending support its long-term earnings growth potential.

Why it matters — WTRG watchers would care because customer growth, acquisitions, and infrastructure investment are key drivers of the company's long-term earnings outlook.

American Water and Essential Utilities Announce Expiration of Hart-Scott-Rodino Waiting Period for Proposed Merger

PRNewsWire · 17 Aug 2026neutral

American Water and Essential Utilities announced the expiration of the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period for their proposed merger. The announcement comes from offices in Camden, N.J. and Bryn Mawr, Pa.

Why it matters — A WTRG watcher would care because the expiration of the federal antitrust waiting period is a procedural step forward in completing the proposed merger.

Before You Dig a Hole, Make 811 Your Goal: Essential Utilities Recognizes 811 Day and the Importance of Safe Digging

Business Wire · 10 Aug 2026neutral

Essential Utilities and its subsidiaries, Aqua Water and Peoples Natural Gas, urged customers and contractors to recognize 811 Day on August 11 and to call 811 before any digging or excavation projects to have utilities marked. The company emphasized safe digging practices during peak construction season.

Why it matters — This news highlights Essential Utilities' safety-focused communications with customers and contractors around its water and natural gas operations, reinforcing its customer engagement and public safety efforts.

Essential Utilities Q2 Earnings Call Highlights

MarketBeat · 9 Aug 2026neutral

Essential Utilities reported second-quarter 2026 GAAP earnings of $0.37 per share, down from $0.38 per share in the prior-year quarter. Higher regulatory recoveries and water volumes were offset by lower gas volumes and increased operating expenses, depreciation, and interest costs.

Why it matters — The slight earnings decline and the offsetting factors provide WTRG watchers with a snapshot of the company's latest quarterly financial performance and the pressures on its results.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about WTRG stock

What is the WTRG stock price forecast for 2026-2027?

The 7 Wall Street analysts covering Essential Utilities, Inc. have a median 12-month price target of $41, with estimates ranging from $38 to $48. These are third-party analyst estimates, not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Is WTRG stock a buy right now?

Of the 7 analysts covering Essential Utilities, Inc., 2 rate it a Buy, 3 a Hold and 2 a Sell. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model ranks Essential Utilities, Inc. 27 out of 100 across roughly 4,600 US stocks as at 8 Sept 2026. None of this is personal advice — it does not consider your circumstances.

How does Ticker Nerd's model rank WTRG?

As at 8 Sept 2026, Essential Utilities, Inc. ranks 27 out of 100 on Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model — a percentile across roughly 4,600 US stocks, built from its factor families. Its strongest factor family is Volatility (74 of 100).

Will WTRG stock go up?

No one can know that. What the data says: the median 12-month target from 7 analysts implies -2.4% from the last close, and Ticker Nerd's factor model ranks Essential Utilities, Inc. 27 out of 100 as at 8 Sept 2026. Analyst targets are third-party estimates and frequently wrong; none of this is personal advice.

What is the WTRG stock forecast for 2030?

No analyst covering Essential Utilities, Inc. publishes a 2030 price target — Wall Street targets run 12 to 18 months out. Sites quoting a 2030 price for WTRG are extrapolating price history, which says nothing about the business. The furthest attributed numbers are the current analyst targets: $38 to $48 over the next 12 months.

How has WTRG stock performed over the past year?

Essential Utilities, Inc. returned +13.7% over the 12 months to 9 Sept 2026, with dividends reinvested. Past performance does not indicate future returns.

What does Essential Utilities, Inc. do?

Essential Utilities Inc. is a regulated utility holding company that provides water, wastewater, and natural gas services through its subsidiaries.

What is the latest news on WTRG?

The most recent item we track (Zacks Investment Research, 3 Sept 2026): "Essential Utilities (WTRG) Up 5% Since Last Earnings Report: Can It Continue?". Essential Utilities (WTRG) reported earnings 30 days ago, and its stock has risen 5% since that report. The article raises the question of what comes next for the stock following this performance.

Company

About Essential Utilities, Inc.

Essential Utilities Inc. is a regulated utility holding company that provides water, wastewater, and natural gas services through its subsidiaries. The company serves residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers across multiple U.S. states under the Aqua and Peoples brands. Its operations are centered on essential infrastructure, including water treatment and distribution systems, wastewater collection and processing, and natural gas distribution networks. Essential Utilities also offers utility service line protection and repair services, along with selected non-regulated activities tied to gas marketing and production. Based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, the company plays a significant role in supporting communities with reliable access to core utility services that are central to daily life and local economic activity.

CEO Mr. Christopher H. Franklin · 3,303 employees · United States · https://www.essential.co