NYSE: WTRG

Essential Utilities (WTRG) Stock Analysis & Forecast

Sep 28 close

$38.96−0.57 (−1.4%)
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Gekko Brief

AI summary

Essential Utilities has drawn attention mainly through a filing, with State Street Corp disclosing a $502.60 million position in WTRG after raising its stake by 5.5% in the period. Beyond the filing, the company's last call detailed year-to-date capital investment of $662 million, part of a record $1.7 billion infrastructure upgrade plan, along with progress on the pending merger with American Water, which has secured regulatory approvals in Kentucky, Ohio, and Virginia with closing expected in Q1 2027.

WTRG closed at $38.96, down 1.4%, sitting between its 50-day average of $40.47 and 200-day average of $39.16, reflecting a mixed trend. The stock's one-month return stands at -3.9%, though it is up 3.1% over the past year. The GekkoIndex reads 67.6, placing it in the Accumulation zone, up 8.9 over five days. Shares trade 5.4% below the Gekko Fair Value of $41.17, within a 52-week range of $36.10 to $42.51.

The next earnings report is set for 3 November 2026, 35 days away and outside a typical 20-trading-day holding window; the prior quarter saw EPS of $0.38 against a $0.37 estimate, with a 2.1% reaction. No insider, Congress, or unusual options activity appears in the respective 90-day and 30-day windows. Seasonality over five years shows a 0.9% average 20-day return from this point, with gains in 3 of those years. Consensus among three analysts includes one buy, one hold, and one sell rating, with a target of $42.20.

Written by AI and checked automatically against the figures on this page. Generated Sep 29, 2026 from the data above.

Essential Utilities price vs fair value

$41.17$38.96Sep ’25Mar ’26Sep ’26
Close $38.96200-day averageGekko Fair Value $41.17

Essential Utilities quick facts

Market cap
$11.05B
P/E ratio
20.6
Forward P/E
16.8
EPS, TTM
$1.93
Revenue, TTM
$2.57B
Profit margin
21.6%
Dividend yield
3.41%
Beta
0.63
Volume
1.70M avg 2.44M
1-year return
+3.1%
Typical daily move
±1.9%
Typical 20-day move
±3.9%
50-day average
$40.47
200-day average
$39.16
Next earnings
Nov 3
Shares outstanding
283.6M
52-week range
$36.10$42.51

Essential Utilities swing-trade checklist

Essential Utilities scores 4 supportive, 1 mixed and 0 headwinds across the 5 checklist items with data.

Six things swing traders check before a 20-day hold, read from the latest data.

4 supportive1 mixed0 headwinds

  • Trendmixed

    Averages disagree

    Close $38.96 sits between the 50-day ($40.47) and 200-day ($39.16) averages, or the averages disagree.

    See the chart
  • GekkoIndexsupportive

    67.6, Accumulation

    Reading 67.6 is in the Accumulation zone.

    See the GekkoIndex
  • Fair valuesupportive

    5.4% below

    Price is 5.4% below Gekko Fair Value (more than 5% below).

    See fair value
  • Smart moneyno data

    No data

    No insider, Congress or unusual options activity in the window.

    See smart money
  • Earnings risksupportive

    Reports in 35 days

    Next report Nov 3, 2026, 35 days away — outside a typical 20-trading-day hold.

    See earnings
  • Seasonalitysupportive

    +0.9% on average

    From this point in the calendar, the next 20 trading days averaged +0.9% over 5 years, rising in 3 of them.

    See seasonality

A description of current data, not a recommendation. How this page works

Essential Utilities stock chart and price history

Essential Utilities closed at $38.96 on Sep 28, 2026, +3.1% over the past year, inside a 52-week range of $36.10 to $42.51.

5Y and weekly in Gekko
Close50-day average200-day averageVolume
Essential Utilities share price, past year, with 50-day and 200-day moving averages and volume$36$38$40$42NovDecJan 2026FebMarAprMayJunJulAugSep38.96

Use the left and right arrow keys to read daily values.

Performance Breakdown

1 month
−3.9%
3 months
+1.4%
6 months
−3.4%
1 year
+3.1%
The full WTRG chart adds GekkoIndex, insider, options, Congress and hedge fund markers, plus TrendCandles™.Open WTRG in Gekko

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Essential Utilities GekkoIndex: the smart money zone

Essential Utilities’s GekkoIndex — Gekko’s 0 to 100 smart money score — reads 67.6, in the Accumulation zone, up 8.9 points over five sessions.

010067.6Accumulation

Up 8.9 points over five sessions, from the Neutral zone.

Reading for Sep 28, 2026

What followed past readings in each zone

ZoneReadings5 days10 days20 days50 days
Buying32+0.4%−0.4%0.0%+4.6%
Accumulation (current zone)224+0.7%+1.1%+2.1%+4.0%
Neutral394−0.3%−0.1%−0.2%−0.8%
Distribution210.0%−1.9%−3.2%−1.3%
Selling1Too few readings yet

Average WTRG share-price change over the trading days after each daily reading in its GekkoIndex history. Across every stock Gekko tracks, Accumulation readings averaged +2.3% over 20 days. Past behaviour doesn’t guarantee future results.

Accumulation zone: Institutional interest building. About the five zones →

See every daily GekkoIndex reading plotted over the WTRG price, zone by zone.Track WTRG in Gekko

Is Essential Utilities stock overvalued? Gekko Fair Value

Essential Utilities trades 5.4% below Gekko Fair Value of $41.17, so the shares are undervalued on Gekko’s estimate.

Gekko’s own estimate of what Essential Utilities shares are worth, recalculated every trading day.

$41.17

Gekko Fair Value, Sep 26, 2026

5.4% Undervalued

How Gekko Fair Value works →

Gekko Fair Value on every chart, with the gap to price updating daily.Open WTRG in Gekko

Essential Utilities insider and Congress trading

No open-market insider purchases were filed for Essential Utilities, and no Congress trades were disclosed, in the last 90 days.

Plus buybacks, unusual options and fund positions, each dated to when it became public.

Insider buying last 90 days

No open-market insider purchases were filed for WTRG in the last 90 days.

From Form 4 filings, dated to when each was filed.

Every WTRG insider filing, plotted on the chart in Gekko.Open WTRG in Gekko

Congress trades last 90 days

No trades in WTRG were disclosed by members of Congress in the last 90 days.

From congressional disclosures, which report amounts as ranges.

Congress disclosures for WTRG, plotted on the chart in Gekko.Open WTRG in Gekko

Buybacks

Essential Utilities has been buying back its own shares.

Bought back, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
$20K
As a share of market cap
0.00%
Trailing four quarters
$2.99M

From company filings.

Essential Utilities earnings: next date and track record

Essential Utilities reports on Nov 3, 2026 (35 days away), and beat the EPS estimate in 7 of its last 8 reports.

7 of 8reports beat the EPS estimate
±3.1%average move across the report
6 of 8reports followed by a gain

Share-price move across each report

+4.9%Nov ’24−1.2%Feb ’25−8.2%May ’25+3.4%Jul ’25+4.2%Nov ’25+0.1%Feb ’26+0.6%May ’26+2.1%Aug ’26

Last earnings call, Aug 4, 2026 AI summary

What they said
Essential reported Q2 2026 GAAP EPS of $0.37 ($0.38 non-GAAP, excluding ~$0.01 merger costs). Year-to-date capital investment reached $662M, on track for a record $1.7B in infrastructure upgrades. The pending merger with American Water has received 3 regulatory approvals (Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia), with remaining states progressing and close expected Q1 2027. The board approved a 5.25% quarterly dividend increase payable September 1, 2026.
Guidance
Management reaffirmed 2026 earnings growth guidance of 5%-7%, anchored to non-GAAP 2024 EPS of $1.97. Merger closing remains targeted for Q1 2027. A Pennsylvania water rate case filing is anticipated around year-end 2026.
ReportedEPSSurpriseRevenueSurpriseMove
Aug 4, 2026$0.38
est $0.37		+2.3%$530.9M
est $538.9M		−1.5%+2.1%
May 6, 2026$0.83
est $0.91		−8.3%$861.8M
est $782.9M		+10.1%+0.6%
Feb 25, 2026$0.47
est $0.40		+17.5%$699.1M
est $611.6M		+14.3%+0.1%
Nov 4, 2025$0.33
est $0.29		+13.8%$477.0M
est $472.4M		+1.0%+4.2%
Jul 31, 2025$0.38
est $0.29		+31.0%$514.9M
est $472.4M		+9.0%+3.4%
May 12, 2025$1.03
est $0.80		+28.3%$783.6M
est $701.9M		+11.6%−8.2%
Feb 26, 2025$0.67
est $0.64		+5.5%$604.4M
est $643.2M		−6.0%−1.2%
Nov 4, 2024$0.25
est $0.24		+4.2%$435.3M
est $526.6M		−17.3%+4.9%

“Move” is the close of the first session after the report compared with the close of the last session before it, so it reads the same whether the company reported before the open or after the close.

Essential Utilities stock forecast and analyst price targets

Analysts’ average 12-month price target for Essential Utilities is $42.20, +8.3% from the last close, from 3 firms rating the stock in the last 90 days.

$42.20consensus 12-month target, +8.3% from the last close
Low $40High $49
Buy1
Hold1
Sell1

Each firm’s latest rating in the last 90 days: 3 firms.

Latest analyst actions

DateFirmRatingTargetvs price
Sep 10UBSBuy, maintained$49+25.8%
Sep 10UBSBuy, reiterated$49+25.8%
Sep 1UBSBuy, maintained$48+23.2%
Aug 28UBSBuy, reiterated$48+23.2%
Aug 16Seaport GlobalHold, maintained——
+2.1%average 20-day move after past Accumulation readings
+0.9%average move over the next 20 trading days in the last 5 years
±1.9%typical daily move, from the 14-day average range

Gekko doesn’t publish price predictions. These are analyst targets and historical base rates, which don’t guarantee future results.

Essential Utilities seasonality: the next 20 trading days

Over the next 20 trading days from Sep 29, Essential Utilities averaged +0.9% across the last 5 years, rising in 3 of them.

Next 20 trading days, by year

−0.5%2021+2.9%2022−3.1%2023+1.5%2024+3.9%2025

Average move and hit rate

WindowAverageYears higher
Next 5 trading days−0.6%2 of 5
Next 10 trading days−0.9%2 of 5
Next 15 trading days+0.7%3 of 5
Next 20 trading days+0.9%3 of 5
Next 30 trading days+2.5%4 of 5

For scale, WTRG’s typical 20-trading-day move in either direction is about 3.9%.

Essential Utilities market cap and key statistics

Essential Utilities’s market cap is $11.05B, with a P/E ratio of 20.6 and revenue of $2.57B over the last twelve months.

Valuation

Market cap
$11.05B
P/E ratio
20.6
Forward P/E
16.8
EPS, TTM
$1.93
Gekko Fair Value
$41.17

Trading

Volume
1.70M
Avg volume, 20 days
2.44M
52-week high
$42.51
52-week low
$36.10
Shares outstanding
283.6M

Financials

Revenue, TTM
$2.57B
Profit margin
21.6%
Return on equity
8.1%
Quarterly earnings growth, YoY
−2.6%

Risk and income

Beta
0.63
Typical daily move
±1.9%
Typical 20-day move
±3.9%
Dividend yield
3.41%

Essential Utilities stock news this week

1 headline about Essential Utilities from the past week, newest first, each linking to the publisher.

Essential Utilities peers

Essential Utilities’s 6 largest industry peers by market value, with today’s move, GekkoIndex zone and gap to Gekko Fair Value.

StockTodayGekkoIndex zonevs Fair Value
AWKAmerican Water Works−1.2%Buying6.8% below
AWRAmerican States Water−1.8%Buying5.5% below
CWTCalifornia Water Service−0.9%Buying11.0% below
HTOH2O America−1.0%Accumulation5.2% below
MSEXMiddlesex Water−1.9%Buying10.7% below
YORWYork Water−1.3%Buying4.1% below

A peer links to its own page where one exists.

In the Buying zone today

BACHDPEPNVOSCHWMCD

Reporting earnings this week

CCLKMXAIRUECMUJBL

Popular on Gekko

NVDATSLAMSFTAMZNMETAGOOGL

Essential Utilities stock FAQ

What is Essential Utilities’s market cap?

Essential Utilities’s market cap is $11.05B at the Sep 28, 2026 close of $38.96, with 283.6M shares outstanding. The shares trade on a P/E ratio of 20.6.

What is the Essential Utilities stock forecast?

The consensus analyst 12-month price target for Essential Utilities is $42.20, +8.3% from the last close. Of the 3 firms that rated the stock in the last 90 days, 1 rate it a buy, 1 a hold and 1 a sell. Gekko doesn’t publish price predictions of its own.

Is Essential Utilities stock overvalued or undervalued?

On Gekko’s estimate Essential Utilities is undervalued: the Sep 28, 2026 close of $38.96 is 5.4% below Gekko Fair Value of $41.17. Gekko Fair Value is recalculated every trading day, and a gap inside 5% either way counts as about fair value.

When does Essential Utilities report earnings next?

Essential Utilities is expected to report on Nov 3, 2026 (35 days away). Analysts expect earnings of $0.35 per share on revenue of $567.3M. Essential Utilities beat the earnings estimate in 7 of its last 8 reports, moving 3.1% on average across the report.

What is Essential Utilities’s 52-week high and low?

Essential Utilities’s 52-week high is $42.51 and its 52-week low is $36.10; it closed at $38.96 on Sep 28, 2026, +3.1% over the past year. Over the last five years the shares peaked at $53.93 on Dec 31, 2021.

Is Essential Utilities stock a buy right now?

Gekko describes the data; it does not make buy or sell recommendations. On the swing-trade checklist, 4 of the 5 items with data read as supportive (gekkoindex, fair value, earnings risk and seasonality), 1 as mixed (trend). The checklist is a description of current data, not a recommendation.

How this page works

During US trading hours the price at the top of the page is a delayed quote, refreshed every 15 minutes; everything else is rebuilt after each US market close. The GekkoIndex, Gekko Fair Value and the checklist are Gekko’s own, and the Gekko Brief is written by AI from this page’s data and checked against it before it is published. How Gekko’s data works →

Built and overseen by Jared Mann

Founder of Gekko.app. Jared has traded stocks and ETFs for more than 20 years and has a financial industry background.

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