Essential Utilities Inc (NYSE: WTRG) has seen a decline in its stock price by -0.85 in relation to its previous close of 38.89. However, the company has experienced a 1.05% gain in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. zacks.com reported 2025-05-12 that WTRG’s first-quarter earnings are better than expected. Rate hikes and higher natural gas volumes have contributed to the first-quarter performance.
Is It Worth Investing in Essential Utilities Inc (NYSE: WTRG) Right Now?
Essential Utilities Inc (NYSE: WTRG) has a price-to-earnings ratio that is above its average at 17.30x. The stock has a 36-month beta value of 0.81. Opinions on the stock are mixed, with 8 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 1 as “overweight,” 2 as “hold,” and 0 as “sell.”
The public float for WTRG is 279.57M, and at present, short sellers hold a 1.83% of that float. On May 23, 2025, the average trading volume of WTRG was 1.74M shares.
WTRG’s Market Performance
WTRG’s stock has seen a 1.05% increase for the week, with a -5.77% drop in the past month and a 5.50% gain in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 0.90%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 1.79% for Essential Utilities Inc The simple moving average for the past 20 days is -2.97% for WTRG’s stock, with a 0.43% simple moving average for the past 200 days.
Analysts’ Opinion of WTRG
Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for WTRG stocks, with Jefferies repeating the rating for WTRG by listing it as a “Buy.” The predicted price for WTRG in the upcoming period, according to Jefferies is $41 based on the research report published on January 28, 2025 of the current year 2025.
Wells Fargo, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see WTRG reach a price target of $39, previously predicting the price at $43. The rating they have provided for WTRG stocks is “Equal Weight” according to the report published on January 07th, 2025.
Jefferies gave a rating of “Hold” to WTRG, setting the target price at $41 in the report published on November 07th of the previous year.
WTRG Trading at -2.40% from the 50-Day Moving Average
After a stumble in the market that brought WTRG to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -7.71% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 1.79%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 0.90%, as shares sank -4.48% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading +0.03% upper at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, WTRG rose by +1.05%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by -4.93% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $39.74. In addition, Essential Utilities Inc saw 6.17% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further gains.
Insider Trading
Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at WTRG starting from Franklin Chris, who sale 7,700 shares at the price of $39.40 back on Mar 14 ’25. After this action, Franklin Chris now owns 32,229 shares of Essential Utilities Inc, valued at $303,380 using the latest closing price.
Chris Franklin, the Chief Executive Officer of Essential Utilities Inc, proposed sale 7,700 shares at $39.40 during a trade that took place back on Mar 14 ’25, which means that Chris Franklin is holding shares at $303,380 based on the most recent closing price.
Stock Fundamentals for WTRG
Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:
- 0.38 for the present operating margin
- 0.59 for the gross margin
The net margin for Essential Utilities Inc stands at 0.27. The total capital return value is set at 0.05. Equity return is now at value 9.78, with 3.47 for asset returns.
Based on Essential Utilities Inc (WTRG), the company’s capital structure generated 0.55 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 0.11. The debt to equity ratio resting at 1.2. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 2.78.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 1.25 billion with net debt to EBITDA at 6.1. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 8.23. The receivables turnover for the company is 6.26for trailing twelve months and the total asset turnover is 0.12. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 0.65.
Conclusion
To sum up, Essential Utilities Inc (WTRG) has seen a mixed performance recently. Analysts have differing views on the stock, with some seeing it as a “buy” and others as a “hold”. It is worth mentioning that the stock is currently trading in close proximity to its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
