Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG)

A proposed all-stock merger with American Water Works Company, Inc. was announced in late 2025. Essential Utilities is scheduled to report its full-year 2025 earnings after market close on February 25, 2026, with a conference call on February 26, 2026. The company declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.3426 per share on January 23, 2026, payable March 2, 2026. Within the past 90 days, Essential Utilities has seen analyst coverage, including one upgrade and one downgrade, with a "Hold" consensus rating and an average 12-month price target of around $43.29 to $43.50. On January 16, 2026, Alexis Rodriguez was elevated to Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development. In December 2025, Essential Utilities announced over $1.2 million in donations through its United Way campaign and Fall for Food Banks initiative.

Demand for Essential Utilities' products and services exhibits seasonality. Water demand is generally higher in the spring and summer months, while natural gas demand is typically higher during the colder winter months.

Essential Utilities, Inc. is a diversified, regulated utility holding company delivering water, wastewater, and natural gas services, operating primarily in the Utilities sector. Under its Aqua brand, it treats and distributes clean drinking water and treats wastewater. Through its Peoples subsidiary, it provides natural gas distribution services. It also offers utility service line protection and repair services through non-regulated subsidiaries.

Essential Utilities serves approximately 5.5 million people across nine U.S. states. Its water business serves 3 million people in eight states, with its largest service territory in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Peoples subsidiary provides natural gas distribution services to over 740,000 customers in Pennsylvania and Kentucky. The company's overall geographic presence includes Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, Indiana, Virginia, and Kentucky.

Essential Utilities maintains a strong brand reputation, emphasizing its commitment to sustainable growth, operational excellence, superior customer experience, and environmental stewardship. MarketBeat's evaluation ranked Essential Utilities higher than 95% of companies and 11th out of 88 stocks in the utilities sector.

The ownership structure of Essential Utilities, Inc. is heavily weighted towards institutional investors, including BlackRock, Inc., The Vanguard Group Inc., and State Street Corp. While institutional ownership is substantial, individual investor holdings are also present. Insider sentiment has been positive.