WTRG

Essential Utilities Inc. WTRG reported first-quarter 2026 operating earnings per share (EPS) of 83 cents, which lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.01 by 17.82%. The bottom line decreased 19.41% from $1.03 in the year-ago quarter. WTRG’s first-quarter GAAP earnings were 79 cents compared with $1.03 reported in the year-ago quarter. The difference between GAAP and operating earnings was due to the impact of merger-related expenses incurred in the quarter. Operating revenues of $862 million surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $768 million by 12.17%. The top line rose nearly 10% from the prior-year quarter’s $783.6 million. The improvement in total revenues was due to additional revenues from regulatory recoveries and purchased gas costs. Essential Utilities Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Essential Utilities Inc. Quote Essential Utilities’ water segment reported revenues for the quarter of $323 million, an increase of 7.4% compared to $300.8 million in the first quarter of 2025. The year-over-year improvement was due to regulatory recoveries and increased volume. WTRG’s regulated natural gas segment reported quarterly revenues of $529.4 million, up from $470.8 million in the first quarter of 2025, primarily driven by higher purchased gas costs, increased regulatory recoveries and the impact of weather normalization adjustments. Total operating expenses amounted to $551.1 million, up 23.9% from the year-ago figure of $444.7 million due to increases in purchased gas costs, and higher operation and maintenance expenses than the previous year period. Operating income totaled $310.6 million, down 8.4% year over year. The year-over-year decline was due to an increase in operating expenses. Interest expenses increased 6.33% to $87.3 million from $79.3 million in the prior-year quarter. The company continues to expand its operations through acquisitions and organic initiatives. The pending acquisition, if closed, can add more than 200,000 customers to Essential Utilities’ customer base. So far in 2026, the company’s regulated water segment has secured rate awards and infrastructure surcharges expected to increase annual revenues by $5.7 million across Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Its regulated natural gas segment also received rate awards and infrastructure surcharges in Kentucky and Pennsylvania, projected to add $9.4 million in ann...

Secured the first major regulatory milestone for the American Water merger with approval from the Kentucky Public Service Commission. Attributed Q1 earnings pressure to extreme winter weather in January and February, which increased operational costs for leaks, snow removal, and overtime. Maintained a disciplined capital investment pace of $269 million this quarter, targeting $1.7 billion for the full year to address PFAS and lead regulations. Reported that integration planning is 'full steam ahead' with joint teams from both companies focused on melding best practices for a 2027 close. Affirmed that operational excellence remains a priority during the transition, with the majority of water and gas performance metrics currently meeting 'green' status targets. Closed the Greenville Water acquisition in March, continuing the strategy of consolidating municipal water and wastewater systems in core markets. Reaffirmed long-term annual EPS growth target of 5% to 7% through 2027, using the adjusted 2024 baseline of $1.97. The company remains optimistic about settling its pending merger and regulatory cases in Pennsylvania, expecting to hit a long-term goal of 5% to 7% EPS growth through 2027. Expects to complete 106 PFAS-related infrastructure projects by the end of 2026 to meet evolving federal and state environmental regulations. Maintains a dividend payout ratio target of 60% to 65% while prioritizing a strong balance sheet and improved cash position. Assumes a normalized O&M expense trajectory for the remainder of the year following the nonrecurring weather and merger-related impacts in Q1. Incurred $16.3 million in merger-related expenses during Q1, impacting GAAP earnings by approximately $0.04 per share. Faced a difficult year-over-year comparison due to a $22.6 million favorable tax reserve adjustment in Q1 2025 that did not recur. Noted that the DELCORA transaction remains stalled due to a federal bankruptcy court stay related to the City of Chester. Identified extreme cold as a driver for lower capitalization in Q1 due to a slower start on physical infrastructure projects. Our analysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here. Management is aligned with the governor on affordability and is in active dialogue with his team to understand how these initiatives...

Essential Utilities (WTRG) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.83 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.01 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.03 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -17.82%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this water utility would post earnings of $0.36 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.47, delivering a surprise of +30.56%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Essential Utilities, which belongs to the Zacks Utility - Water Supply industry, posted revenues of $861.76 million for the quarter ended March 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 12.17%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $783.63 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Essential Utilities shares have lost about 2.3% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 6%. While Essential Utilities has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Essential Utilities was favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete...

Affirms Financial and Growth Guidance GAAP Earnings of $0.79 per share for Q1 2026 and adjusted earnings per share of $0.83 (non-GAAP); Q1 2026 non-GAAP results exclude $0.04 of transaction costs associated with the pending merger with American Water Affirms anticipated growth in earnings per share at a compound annual growth rate of 5 to 7% Invested $269 million in infrastructure in the first three months of the year; on track to invest $1.7 billion in 2026 Received order from Kentucky Public Service Commission approving merger with American Water Closed on $18 million purchase of the Greenville Municipal Water Authority in Mercer County, PA BRYN MAWR, Pa., May 06, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE: WTRG) today reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026. Company Highlights "Through continued strong operating performance, a focus on cost control, and making investments designed to improve customer experience, we expect another strong year in 2026. While our team is preparing for our merger with American Water, expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, our primary focus remains on operating the company with excellence," said Essential Utilities Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Franklin. "We are excited by the combination of American and Essential because of the expected benefits for customers and shareholders. Equally as exciting is the commitment, made by both companies, to continued strong robust investment in our infrastructure that makes us among the top performers in safety and reliability in the nation while working to provide affordable service for all customers," Franklin added. "The regulatory approval processes for our merger with American Water continue to progress. Two weeks ago, we received our first approval of the merger from the Kentucky Public Service Commission. As a reminder, we have filed in all pertinent states. At the special shareholder meeting to approve the merger, approximately 95% of the voted shares were cast in favor of the transaction. This overwhelming mandate supports what we have believed from the start: that this combination creates a premier, multi-state utility with a high growth profile," Franklin added. First Quarter 2026 Operating Results Essential reported GAAP net income of $224.4 million and earnings per share of $0.79 for the first quarter of 2026, compared t...

BRYN MAWR, Pa. (AP) — BRYN MAWR, Pa. (AP) — Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) on Wednesday reported net income of $224.4 million in its first quarter. The Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania-based company said it had profit of 79 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were 83 cents per share. The water utility posted revenue of $861.8 million in the period. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on WTRG at https://www.zacks.com/ap/WTRG

American Water reported Q1 adjusted EPS of $1.01 (consolidated $1.00), reaffirmed full‑year adjusted EPS guidance of $6.02–$6.12 with ~8% EPS growth expected in 2026 (mostly in H2), and the board raised the quarterly dividend 8.2% to $0.895 while reiterating 7–9% annual dividend and EPS growth targets. The proposed merger with Essential Utilities advanced with Kentucky approval, a Virginia decision expected in June, a planned Hart‑Scott‑Rodino filing late this summer, and the companies still targeting a close by the end of Q1 2027 pending approvals in seven states. Regulatory, capital and financing highlights include final orders in West Virginia and Maryland and active rate cases in PA/NJ/VA/CA/IL (PA recommended decision expected in May, final order in July); the company is investing in PFAS remediation, lead service line removal and smart meters, has secured about $185 million from PFAS manufacturers, holds 105,000 customer connections under agreement totaling $565 million with Nexus Water expected to close by June 30, and has strengthened liquidity by repaying a $795 million note, issuing $700 million long‑term debt at 5.2%, sitting at a 58% debt‑to‑capital ratio and expecting an ~$84 million New Jersey CAMT refund. Interested in American Water Works Company, Inc.? Here are five stocks we like better. 3 American Outperformers Are Lifting and Initiating Dividends American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) opened 2026 with first-quarter results that management said were “right on track” to achieve full-year targets, while also providing updates on regulatory activity, infrastructure investments, acquisition growth and progress on its proposed merger with Essential Utilities. President and CEO John Griffith said the company began the year with adjusted earnings of $1.01 per share, which he described as reflecting “a successful execution of our plan so far in 2026.” Griffith said the company expects to deliver 8% EPS growth in 2026 and reaffirmed full-year earnings guidance as well as long-term targets. → Corning Beats Q1 Estimates but Drops 9% on Guidance Miss Beat the Volatility: Top 3 Low-Beta Stocks to Watch CFO David Bowler said consolidated earnings were $1.00 per share and “in line with our expectations.” Bowler attributed higher revenue to authorized rate increases tied to investment recovery across the company’s states, while noting that operating and maintena...

California Water Service Group CWT posted first-quarter 2026 earnings of 7 cents per share, down 68.2% from 22 cents a year ago. The figure missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 25 cents by 72.0%. The earnings shortfall reflected cost pressure across the income statement. Total operating expenses rose 8.1% year over year to $196.4 million, outpacing the growth in operating revenues. Quarterly revenues were $215 million, up 5.2% from the year-ago period. The top line came in below the consensus mark of $218 million by 1.38%. Operating revenues increased $10.6 million year over year, supported by rate-related items and higher accrued and unbilled revenues. At the same time, customer usage declined, pressuring billed consumption for the quarter. CWT’s management attributed the usage decline to climate variability between the periods, while noting that rate changes and higher accrued and unbilled revenues contributed meaningfully to quarterly revenues. This mix underscores the company’s continued reliance on regulatory constructs and billing dynamics to smooth results through seasonal demand swings. California Water Service Group price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | California Water Service Group Quote Water production costs increased $8.3 million year-over-year to $71.3 million, driven primarily by higher wholesale water rates. Depreciation and amortization also climbed to $40 million as additional capital assets were placed into service. During the quarter, CWT announced an agreement to acquire Nexus Water Group’s water and wastewater systems in Nevada and Oregon for approximately $218 million. The transaction is expected to add about 36,000 customer equivalent residential units and roughly $109 million of rate base, expanding the company’s footprint beyond California. CWT continues to invest heavily in its regulated systems, a strategy that supports long-term rate base growth but also raises near-term non-cash costs. The quarter’s step-up in depreciation expense reflected ongoing infrastructure work and new assets entering service. The company’s expense profile also showed higher financing-related pressure. Net interest expense increased to $18.6 million from $15.7 million in the prior-year quarter, which further weighed on profitability as capital spending and funding needs expanded. A key near-term swing factor remains California Water Service’s 2024 Calif...

American Water Works Company AWK reported first-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.01, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.10 by 8.18%. The bottom line declined 0.98% from the year-ago quarter's level of $1.02 per share. AWK’s total quarterly revenues of $1.21 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.12 billion by 8.25%. The top line also increased 5.69% from the year-ago figure of $1.14 billion. American Water Works Company, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | American Water Works Company, Inc. Quote Regulated businesses’ net revenues in the first quarter of 2026 were $1.11 billion, up 5.91% year over year. Others’ net revenues in the first quarter of 2026 were $96 million, up 3.23% year over year. Total operating expenses for the first quarter of 2026 were $816 million, up 5.84% from the year-ago quarter’s $771 million, primarily driven by higher operation and maintenance expenses. The operating income totaled $391 million, up 5.39% from the year-ago figure of $371million. AWK continues to expand its business through acquisitions and organic growth. As of March 31, 2026, the company closed one acquisition, adding 4,600 new customers. The completion of another 22 pending acquisitions is expected to add nearly 58,400 new customers. New rates effective since Jan.1, 2026, will increase 2026 annual revenues by $89 million. As of April 30, 2026, the pending rate cases, if approved without any changes, are projected to increase revenues by another $518 million. American Water Works’ cash and cash equivalents amounted to $137 million as of March 31, 2026, compared with $98 million as of Dec. 31, 2025. Total long-term debt was $12.77 billion as of March 31, 2026, down 0.09% from $12.78 billion as of Dec. 31, 2025. In first-quarter 2026, cash flow from operating activities was $305 million compared with $331 million in the year-ago period. On April 21, 2026, American Water Works stated that its merger with Essential Utilities, Inc. had received its first regulatory approval from the Kentucky Public Service Commission. American Water Works affirmed its 2026 EPS guidance in the range of $6.02-$6.12. The Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.09 lies near the high end of the company’s guided range. AWK plans to invest $3.7 billion in 2026. The company still expects its long-term EPS and dividend growth to be 7-9% and rate-based g...

First quarter 2026 GAAP earnings were $1.00 per share, compared to $1.05 per share in 2025 Excluding transaction costs for the proposed Essential Utilities merger and incremental interest income from the repaid HOS secured seller note, first quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $1.01 per share, compared to $1.02 per share in the same quarter in 2025 2026 earnings per share guidance range of $6.02 to $6.12 affirmed Announced quarterly cash dividend of $0.8950 per share of common stock, payable in June, an increase of 8.2% Successfully issued in April $700 million of 5.200% senior notes due 2036 CAMDEN, N.J., April 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE: AWK) today reported adjusted results for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, of $1.01 per share, compared to $1.02 per share for the same quarter in 2025. "The company has delivered solid first quarter results and we are affirming our long-term targets for both earnings and dividend growth at 7 to 9 percent," said John Griffith, President and CEO of American Water. "We are also encouraged with the progress we and Essential have made thus far in merger integration planning work and were pleased to receive the first state regulatory approval for the merger last week in Kentucky," added Griffith. 2026 EPS Guidance and Long-Term Financial Targets Affirmed The company affirms its 2026 adjusted earnings per share ("EPS") guidance range of $6.02 to $6.12 (non-GAAP). The 2026 adjusted EPS guidance range does not include (i) transaction costs to be incurred by the company during 2026 related to the proposed merger with Essential Utilities, Inc. ("Essential Utilities"), (ii) impacts of weather, if any, during 2026, and (iii) incremental interest income through February 13, 2026 related to the 2024 amendment of the former Homeowner Services Group ("HOS") secured seller note. Management is unable to present a reconciliation of the adjusted EPS guidance range to a GAAP guidance range without unreasonable effort because management cannot reliably predict the nature, amount or probable significance of all of such adjustments for future periods; however, these adjustments may, individually or in the aggregate, cause adjusted EPS to differ significantly from GAAP EPS. The company also affirms its long-term financial targets, including its long-term EPS and dividend growth rate targets of 7-9%. The company...

Wall Street expects a year-over-year decline in earnings on lower revenues when Essential Utilities (WTRG) reports results for the quarter ended March 2026. While this widely-known consensus outlook is important in gauging the company's earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates. The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on May 7. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call, it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise. This water utility is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.01 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -1.9%. Revenues are expected to be $768.26 million, down 2% from the year-ago quarter. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 1.41% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for posit...

American Water Works (AWK) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.01 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.1 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.05 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -8.18%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this water utility would post earnings of $1.28 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.24, delivering a surprise of -3.13%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates just once. American Water Works, which belongs to the Zacks Utility - Water Supply industry, posted revenues of $1.21 billion for the quarter ended March 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 8.21%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.14 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. American Water Works shares have added about 1.7% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 4.3%. While American Water Works has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for American Water Works was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the comple...