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Essential Utilities (WTRG)
NYSE:WTRG
WTRG Analyst Ratings
Moderate Buy
4 Buy
4 Hold
0 Sell
TipRanks enables you to focus on the analyst rating consensus of all analysts or only the top performers in the past 3 months
WTRG Stock 12 Month Forecast
Average Price Target
$43.14
▲(13.68% Upside)
| Highest Price Target$45.00 | Average Price Target$43.14 | Lowest Price Target$42.00 |
The highest, average, and lowest price target of all analysts. Click on ‘Top Analysts’ to focus on the best performers.
Detailed List of Analyst Forecasts
Detailed List of Analyst Forecasts
Northcoast Research
$46→$42
Buy
10.67%
Upside
Upgraded
12/03/25
Argus Research
―
Buy
―
Reiterated
11/11/25
Argus Research Keeps Their Buy Rating on Essential Utilities (WTRG)We expect the combined company to continue to deploy its growth-by-acquisition strategy in the fragmented water utility industry as cash-strapped mu- nicipalities look to monetize their utility assets. We like the company’s solid balance sheet and focus on dividend growth. Our 12-month target price on WTRG is $45. The low-beta stock tends to perform best on a relative basis during periods of market volatility.
Jefferies
$47→$44
Hold
15.94%
Upside
Downgraded
10/29/25
Cautious Hold Rating on Essential Utilities Amid Modest Merger Premium and Regulatory UncertaintyWe downgrade WTRG to HOLD following Monday's AWK-WTRG merger announcement. The 10% headline premium is ~5% vs Friday close and one of the lower premium deals in memory for a non merger of equals. Our implied blended 17.2x FY28 P/E is +6% above 16.2x electrics, a reasonable baseline for the water valuation today. We now model 6.3% FY25-FY29 EPS CAGR vs 6.7% Street. We also view a topping bid as unlikely given the$370Mn break fee, although only ~3% of market cap.
UBS
$46→$45
Hold
18.58%
Upside
Downgraded
10/28/25
Robert W. Baird
$43
Hold
13.31%
Upside
Downgraded
10/28/25
Janney Montgomery
$43
Hold
13.31%
Upside
Downgraded
10/27/25
Barclays
$42→$43
Buy
13.31%
Upside
Reiterated
10/10/25
Bank of America Securities
$42
Buy
10.67%
Upside
Reiterated
10/07/25
Evercore ISI
$46
Buy
21.21%
Upside
Reiterated
05/13/25
Wells Fargo
$41→$42
Hold
10.67%
Upside
Reiterated
05/13/25
TD Cowen
$46
Buy
21.21%
Upside
Reiterated
01/13/25
Analyst Type
Any
Ranks
Any
Analyst Rating
Any
Upside/ Downside
Any
Action
Any
Northcoast Research
$46→$42
Buy
10.67%
Upside
Upgraded
12/03/25
Argus Research
―
Buy
―
Reiterated
11/11/25
Argus Research Keeps Their Buy Rating on Essential Utilities (WTRG)We expect the combined company to continue to deploy its growth-by-acquisition strategy in the fragmented water utility industry as cash-strapped mu- nicipalities look to monetize their utility assets. We like the company’s solid balance sheet and focus on dividend growth. Our 12-month target price on WTRG is $45. The low-beta stock tends to perform best on a relative basis during periods of market volatility.
Jefferies
$47→$44
Hold
15.94%
Upside
Downgraded
10/29/25
Cautious Hold Rating on Essential Utilities Amid Modest Merger Premium and Regulatory UncertaintyWe downgrade WTRG to HOLD following Monday's AWK-WTRG merger announcement. The 10% headline premium is ~5% vs Friday close and one of the lower premium deals in memory for a non merger of equals. Our implied blended 17.2x FY28 P/E is +6% above 16.2x electrics, a reasonable baseline for the water valuation today. We now model 6.3% FY25-FY29 EPS CAGR vs 6.7% Street. We also view a topping bid as unlikely given the$370Mn break fee, although only ~3% of market cap.
UBS
$46→$45
Hold
18.58%
Upside
Downgraded
10/28/25
Robert W. Baird
$43
Hold
13.31%
Upside
Downgraded
10/28/25
Janney Montgomery
$43
Hold
13.31%
Upside
Downgraded
10/27/25
Barclays
$42→$43
Buy
13.31%
Upside
Reiterated
10/10/25
Bank of America Securities
$42
Buy
10.67%
Upside
Reiterated
10/07/25
Evercore ISI
$46
Buy
21.21%
Upside
Reiterated
05/13/25
Wells Fargo
$41→$42
Hold
10.67%
Upside
Reiterated
05/13/25
TD Cowen
$46
Buy
21.21%
Upside
Reiterated
01/13/25
Best Analysts Covering Essential Utilities
1 Month
xxx
Success Rate
9/15 ratings generated profit
Average Return
+2.33%
upgraded a xxx
rating 13 days ago
Copying xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
trades and holding each position for 1 Month would result in 60.00% of your transactions generating a profit, with an average return of +2.33% per trade.
3 Months
xxx
Success Rate
11/15 ratings generated profit
Average Return
+4.63%
upgraded a xxx
rating 13 days ago
Copying xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
trades and holding each position for 3 Months would result in 73.33% of your transactions generating a profit, with an average return of +4.63% per trade.
1 Year
Success Rate
12/15 ratings generated profit
Average Return
+18.40%
upgraded a buy rating 13 days ago
Copying Ryan Connors's trades and holding each position for 1 Year would result in 80.00% of your transactions generating a profit, with an average return of +18.40% per trade.
2 Years
xxx
Success Rate
12/15 ratings generated profit
Average Return
+17.94%
upgraded a xxx
rating 13 days ago
Copying xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
trades and holding each position for 2 Years would result in 80.00% of your transactions generating a profit, with an average return of +17.94% per trade.
The Best Analyst Covering tool allows you to follow the analysts who have the best success rates and average returns on a specific stock. Only analysts that gave a Buy or Sell rating on the stock in the past 12 months are eligible for inclusion in this tool. Follow the analysts of your choice to receive real-time updates when they publish a new rating.
WTRG Analyst Recommendation Trends
Rating
Aug 25
Sep 25
Oct 25
Nov 25
Dec 25
Strong Buy
0
0
0
0
0
Buy
12
10
12
8
7
Hold
4
1
6
6
6
Sell
0
0
0
0
0
Strong Sell
0
0
0
0
0
total
16
11
18
14
13
Each month's total comprises the sum of three months' worth of ratings.
WTRG Financial Forecast
WTRG Stock Forecast FAQ
What is WTRG’s average 12-month price target, according to analysts?
Based on analyst ratings, Essential Utilities’s 12-month average price target is 43.14.
What is WTRG’s upside potential, based on the analysts’ average price target?
Essential Utilities has 13.68% upside potential, based on the analysts’ average price target.
Can I see which stocks the top-ranking analysts are rating?
Yes, go to the Analysts’ Top Stocks tool to see stocks with a Strong Buy or Strong Sell analyst rating consensus, according to the top performers.
How can I follow the stock ratings of top Wall Street analysts?
Head over to our Expert Center to see a list of the top 100 Wall Street analysts and follow the analysts of your choice. Visit their profiles for more details about their stock ratings and see how they perform on a stock-by-stock basis.
Is WTRG a Buy, Sell or Hold?
Essential Utilities has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy which is based on 4 buy ratings, 4 hold ratings and 0 sell ratings.
What is Essential Utilities’s price target?
The average price target for Essential Utilities is 43.14. This is based on 8 Wall Streets Analysts 12-month price targets, issued in the past 3 months.
The highest analyst price target is $45.00 ,the lowest forecast is $42.00. The average price target represents 13.68% Increase from the current price of $37.95.
The highest analyst price target is $45.00 ,the lowest forecast is $42.00. The average price target represents 13.68% Increase from the current price of $37.95.
What do analysts say about Essential Utilities?
Essential Utilities’s analyst rating consensus is a Moderate Buy. This is based on the ratings of 8 Wall Streets Analysts.
How can I buy shares of WTRG?
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