Is Essential Utilities Stock a Good Investment?

Essential Utilities Investment Advice

  WTRG
To provide specific investment advice or recommendations on Essential Utilities stock, we recommend investors consider the following general factors when evaluating Essential Utilities. This will help you to make an informed decision on whether to include Essential Utilities in one of your diversified portfolios:
  • Examine Essential Utilities' financial health by looking at its balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement. Analyze key financial ratios, such as Price-to-Earnings (P/E), Price-to-Sales (P/S), and Price-to-Book (P/B), to determine whether the stock is fairly valued or over/undervalued.
  • Research Essential Utilities' leadership team and their track record. Good management can help Essential Utilities navigate difficult times and make strategic decisions that benefit shareholders and increases its net worth.
  • Consider the overall health of the Water Utilities space and any emerging trends that could impact Essential Utilities' business and its evolving consumer preferences.
  • Compare Essential Utilities' performance and market position to its competitors. Analyze how Essential Utilities is positioned in terms of product offerings, innovation, and market share.
  • Check if Essential Utilities pays a dividend and its dividend yield and payout ratio.
  • Review what financial analysts are saying about Essential Utilities' stock and their price targets. However, remember that analysts' opinions can vary, and their predictions may not always be accurate.
It's important to note that investing in Essential Utilities stock, carries risks, and you should carefully consider your investment goals and risk tolerance before making any investment decisions. Also, remember that it's important for investors to have a long-term perspective and a well-diversified portfolio to manage the impact of stock market volatility on their investments. Below is a detailed guide on how to decide if Essential Utilities is a good investment.
 
Sell
 
Buy
Cautious Hold
Essential Utilities advice module can be used to check and cross-verify current investment recommendation provided by analysts reviewing the company's potential to grow using all of fundamental, technical, data market data available at the time. To make sure Essential Utilities is not overpriced, please confirm all Essential Utilities fundamentals, including its ebitda, earnings per share, five year return, as well as the relationship between the debt to equity and market capitalization . Given that Essential Utilities has a price to earning of 28.79 X, we urge you to verify Essential Utilities market performance and probability of bankruptcy to ensure the company can sustain itself in the current economic cycle given your prevailing risk tolerance and investing horizon.

Market Performance

Very WeakDetails

Volatility

Very steadyDetails

Hype Condition

Low keyDetails

Current Valuation

UndervaluedDetails

Odds Of Distress

Below AverageDetails

Economic Sensitivity

Slowly supersedes the marketDetails

Investor Sentiment

AlarmedDetails

Analyst Consensus

Strong BuyDetails

Financial Strenth (F Score)

StrongDetails

Financial Leverage

Not RatedDetails

Reporting Quality (M-Score)

Possible ManipulatorDetails

Examine Essential Utilities Stock

Researching Essential Utilities' stock involves analyzing various aspects of the company and its industry to make an informed investment decision. The key areas to focus on are fundamentals, business model and competitive advantage. It is also important to analyze trends in revenue, net income, and cash flow, as well as key financial ratios, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and debt-to-equity (D/E). About 82.0% of the company outstanding shares are owned by institutional investors. The company has Price to Book (P/B) ratio of 1.71. Historically many companies with similar price-to-book (P/B) ratio do better than the market in the long run. Essential Utilities has Price/Earnings To Growth (PEG) ratio of 2.71. The entity last dividend was issued on the 12th of November 2024. The firm had 5:4 split on the 3rd of September 2013.
To determine if Essential Utilities is a good investment, evaluating the company's potential for future growth is also very important. This may include expanding into new markets, launching new products or services, or improving operational efficiency. Companies with strong growth prospects can be more attractive investments. This aspect of the research should be conducted in the context of the overall market and industry in which the company operates and should include an analysis of growth potential, competitive landscape, and any regulatory or economic factors that could impact the business. Some of the essential points regarding Essential Utilities' research are outlined below:
Essential Utilities generated a negative expected return over the last 90 days
Essential Utilities currently holds 7.09 B in liabilities with Debt to Equity (D/E) ratio of 1.17, which is about average as compared to similar companies. Essential Utilities has a current ratio of 0.74, indicating that it has a negative working capital and may not be able to pay financial obligations when due. Note, when we think about Essential Utilities' use of debt, we should always consider it together with its cash and equity.
Essential Utilities has a strong financial position based on the latest SEC filings
Over 82.0% of Essential Utilities outstanding shares are owned by institutional investors
Latest headline from finance.yahoo.com: Decoding Essential Utilities Inc A Strategic SWOT Insight
Essential Utilities uses earnings reports to provide investors with an update of all three financial statements, including the income statement, the balance sheet, and the cash flow statement. Therefore, it is also crucial when considering investing in Essential Utilities. Every quarterly earnings report provides investors with an overview of sales, expenses, and net income for the most recent period. It also may provide a comparison to Essential Utilities' previous reporting period. The quarterly earnings reports are usually disseminated to the public via Form 10-Q, which is a legal document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission every quarter.
26th of February 2024
Upcoming Quarterly Report
View
13th of May 2024
Next Financial Report
View
31st of December 2023
Next Fiscal Quarter End
View
26th of February 2024
Next Fiscal Year End
View
30th of September 2023
Last Quarter Report
View
31st of December 2022
Last Financial Announcement
View
Earnings surprises can significantly impact Essential Utilities' stock price both in the short term and over time. Negative earnings surprises usually result in a price decline. However, it has been seen that positive earnings surprises lead to an immediate rise in a stock's price and a gradual increase over time. This is why we often hear news about some companies beating earning projections. Financial analysts spend a large amount of time predicting earnings per share (EPS) along with other important future indicators. Many analysts use forecasting models, management guidance, and additional fundamental information to derive an EPS estimate. Below are the table of largest EPS Surprises Essential Utilities' investors have experienced.
Reported
Fiscal Date
Estimated EPS
Reported EPS
Surprise
2001-07-31
2001-06-300.10.110.0110 
2001-02-07
2000-12-310.080.090.0112 
2000-05-02
2000-03-310.070.080.0114 
1998-10-28
1998-09-300.090.10.0111 
1998-07-29
1998-06-300.070.080.0114 
1997-11-03
1997-09-300.080.090.0112 
1997-02-03
1996-12-310.050.060.0120 
1996-11-05
1996-09-300.070.080.0114 

Know Essential Utilities' Top Institutional Investors

Have you ever been surprised when a price of an equity instrument such as Essential Utilities is soaring high without any particular reason? This is usually happening because many institutional investors are aggressively trading Essential Utilities backward and forwards among themselves. Essential Utilities' institutional investor refers to the entity that pools money to purchase Essential Utilities' securities or originate loans. Institutional investors include commercial and private banks, credit unions, insurance companies, pension funds, hedge funds, endowments, and mutual funds. Operating companies that invest excess capital in these types of assets may also be included in the term and may influence corporate governance by exercising voting rights in their investments.
Shares
Legal & General Group Plc2024-06-30
3.7 M
Fmr Inc2024-06-30
3.3 M
First Trust Advisors L.p.2024-06-30
3.2 M
Northern Trust Corp2024-06-30
3.1 M
Bank Of New York Mellon Corp2024-06-30
2.8 M
Duff & Phelps Inv Mgmt Co (il)2024-06-30
2.4 M
Norges Bank2024-06-30
2.1 M
Tandem Investment Advisors Inc2024-06-30
M
Ubs Asset Mgmt Americas Inc2024-06-30
M
Blackrock Inc2024-06-30
30.8 M
Vanguard Group Inc2024-06-30
27.8 M
Note, although Essential Utilities' institutional investors appear to be way more sophisticated than retail investors, it remains unclear if professional active investment managers can reliably enhance risk-adjusted returns by an amount that exceeds fees and expenses.

Essential Utilities' market capitalization trends

The company currently falls under 'Large-Cap' category with a current market capitalization of 10.6 B.

Market Cap

11.83 Billion

Essential Utilities' profitablity analysis

Last ReportedProjected for Next Year
Return On Tangible Assets 0.03  0.04 
Return On Capital Employed 0.04  0.08 
Return On Assets 0.03  0.04 
Return On Equity 0.08  0.12 
The company has Profit Margin (PM) of 0.28 %, which maeans that even a very small decline in it revenue will erase profits resulting in a net loss. This is way below average. Similarly, it shows Operating Margin (OM) of 0.36 %, which suggests for every 100 dollars of sales, it generated a net operating income of $0.36.
Determining Essential Utilities' profitability involves analyzing its financial statements and using various financial metrics to determine if Essential Utilities is a good buy. For example, gross profit margin measures Essential Utilities' profitability after accounting for the cost of goods sold, while net profit margin measures profitability after accounting for all expenses. Other important metrics include return on assets, return on equity, and free cash flow. By reviewing multiple sources and metrics, you can gain a complete picture of Essential Utilities' profitability and make more informed investment decisions.

Evaluate Essential Utilities' management efficiency

Essential Utilities has return on total asset (ROA) of 0.026 % which means that it generated a profit of $0.026 on every $100 spent on assets. This is way below average. Similarly, it shows a return on stockholder's equity (ROE) of 0.0902 %, meaning that it created $0.0902 on every $100 dollars invested by stockholders. Essential Utilities' management efficiency ratios could be used to measure how well Essential Utilities manages its routine affairs as well as how well it operates its assets and liabilities. The Essential Utilities' current Return On Tangible Assets is estimated to increase to 0.04. The Essential Utilities' current Return On Capital Employed is estimated to increase to 0.08. At this time, Essential Utilities' Non Currrent Assets Other are most likely to increase significantly in the upcoming years. The Essential Utilities' current Other Current Assets is estimated to increase to about 135.4 M, while Net Tangible Assets are projected to decrease to roughly 3.2 B.
Last ReportedProjected for Next Year
Book Value Per Share 22.07  23.17 
Tangible Book Value Per Share 13.29  13.96 
Enterprise Value Over EBITDA 16.11  11.48 
Price Book Value Ratio 1.69  3.05 
Enterprise Value Multiple 16.11  11.48 
Price Fair Value 1.69  3.05 
Enterprise Value17.4 B18.2 B
The strategic initiatives led by Essential Utilities' management are central to its market success. By analyzing these initiatives, we provide a clear picture of the stock's growth prospects.
Dividend Yield
0.0337
Forward Dividend Yield
0.0337
Forward Dividend Rate
1.3
Beta
0.836

Basic technical analysis of Essential Stock

As of the 17th of November 2024, Essential Utilities shows the Mean Deviation of 0.8772, standard deviation of 1.14, and Variance of 1.31. In respect to fundamental indicators, the technical analysis model provides you with a way to check existing technical drivers of Essential Utilities, as well as the relationship between them. Please confirm Essential Utilities market risk adjusted performance, information ratio, as well as the relationship between the Information Ratio and skewness to decide if Essential Utilities is priced favorably, providing market reflects its regular price of 38.6 per share. Given that Essential Utilities has information ratio of (0.11), we urge you to verify Essential Utilities's prevailing market performance to make sure the company can sustain itself at a future point.

Essential Utilities' insider trading activities

Some recent studies suggest that insider trading raises the cost of capital for securities issuers and decreases overall economic growth. Trading by specific Essential Utilities insiders, such as employees or executives, is commonly permitted as long as it does not rely on Essential Utilities' material information that is not in the public domain. Local jurisdictions usually require such trading to be reported in order to monitor insider transactions. In many U.S. states, trading conducted by corporate officers, key employees, directors, or significant shareholders must be reported to the regulator or publicly disclosed, usually within a few business days of the trade. In these cases Essential Utilities insiders are required to file a Form 4 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) when buying or selling shares of their own companies.

Essential Utilities' Outstanding Corporate Bonds

Essential Utilities issues bonds to finance its operations. Corporate bonds make up one of the largest components of the U.S. bond market, which is considered the world's largest securities market. Essential Utilities uses the proceeds from bond sales for a wide variety of purposes, including financing ongoing mergers and acquisitions, buying new equipment, investing in research and development, buying back their own stock, paying dividends to shareholders, and even refinancing existing debt. Most Essential bonds can be classified according to their maturity, which is the date when Essential Utilities has to pay back the principal to investors. Maturities can be short-term, medium-term, or long-term (more than ten years). Longer-term bonds usually offer higher interest rates but may entail additional risks.

Understand Essential Utilities' technical and predictive indicators

Using predictive indicators to make investment decisions involves analyzing Essential Utilities' various financial and market-based factors to help forecast future trends and identify investment opportunities. Select the indicators that are most relevant to your investment strategy. Each indicator has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it's essential to combine multiple indicators to get a more comprehensive view of the market and reduce the risk of making poor decisions based on limited data.

Consider Essential Utilities' intraday indicators

Essential Utilities intraday indicators are useful technical analysis tools used by many experienced traders. Just like the conventional technical analysis, daily indicators help intraday investors to analyze the price movement with the timing of Essential Utilities stock daily movement. By combining multiple daily indicators into a single trading strategy, you can limit your risk while still earning strong returns on your managed positions.

Essential Utilities Corporate Filings

F4
12th of November 2024
The report filed by a party regarding the acquisition or disposition of a company's common stock, as well as derivative securities such as options, warrants, and convertible securities
ViewVerify
F3
8th of November 2024
An amendment to the original Schedule 13D filing
ViewVerify
8K
7th of November 2024
Report filed with the SEC to announce major events that shareholders should know about
ViewVerify
10Q
6th of November 2024
Quarterly performance report mandated by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to be filed by publicly traded corporations
ViewVerify
Essential Utilities time-series forecasting models is one of many Essential Utilities' stock analysis techniques aimed to predict future share value based on previously observed values. Time-series forecasting models ae widely used for non-stationary data. Non-stationary data are called the data whose statistical properties e.g. the mean and standard deviation are not constant over time but instead, these metrics vary over time. These non-stationary Essential Utilities' historical data is usually called time-series. Some empirical experimentation suggests that the statistical forecasting models outperform the models based exclusively on fundamental analysis to predict the direction of the market movement and maximize returns from investment trading.

Essential Stock media impact

Far too much social signal, news, headlines, and media speculation about Essential Utilities that are available to investors today. That information is available publicly through Essential media outlets and privately through word of mouth or via Essential internal channels. However, regardless of the origin, that massive amount of Essential data is challenging to quantify into actionable patterns, especially for investors that are not very sophisticated with ever-evolving tools and techniques used in the investment management field.
A primary focus of Essential Utilities news analysis is to determine if its current price reflects all relevant headlines and social signals impacting the current market conditions. A news analyst typically looks at the history of Essential Utilities relative headlines and hype rather than examining external drivers such as technical or fundamental data. It is believed that price action tends to repeat itself due to investors' collective, patterned thinking related to Essential Utilities' headlines and news coverage data. This data is often completely overlooked or insufficiently analyzed for actionable insights to drive Essential Utilities alpha.

Essential Utilities Sentiment by Major News Outlets

Investor sentiment, mood or attitude towards Essential Utilities can have a significant impact on its stock price or the market as a whole. This sentiment can be positive or negative, and various factors, such as economic indicators, news events, or market trends, can influence it. When investor sentiment is positive, investors are more likely to buy stocks, increasing demand and increasing the stock price. Positive investor sentiment can be driven by good news about the company or the broader market, such as solid earnings reports or positive economic data.
Note that negative investor sentiment can cause investors to sell stocks, leading to a decrease in demand and a drop in the stock price. Negative sentiment can be driven by factors such as poor earnings reports, negative news about the company or industry, or broader economic concerns. It's important to note that investor sentiment is just one of many factors that can affect stock prices. Other factors, such as company performance, industry trends, and global economic conditions, can also play a significant role in determining the value of a stock.

Essential Utilities Historical Investor Sentiment

Investor biases related to Essential Utilities' public news can be used to forecast risks associated with an investment in Essential. The trend in average sentiment can be used to explain how an investor holding Essential can time the market purely based on public headlines and social activities around Essential Utilities. Please note that most equities that are difficult to arbitrage are affected by market sentiment the most.
Essential Utilities' market sentiment shows the aggregated news analyzed to detect positive and negative mentions from the text and comments. The data is normalized to provide daily scores for Essential Utilities and other traded tickers. The bigger the bubble, the more accurate the estimated score. Higher bars for a given day show more participation in the average Essential Utilities news discussions. The higher the estimate score, the more favorable the investor's outlook on Essential Utilities.

Essential Utilities Corporate Management

Elizabeth AmatoIndependent DirectorProfile
Christina KellySenior OfficerProfile
Whitney KellettSenior OfficerProfile
Ellen RuffIndependent DirectorProfile
Matthew RhodesExecutive Vice President - Strategy and Corporate DevelopmentProfile

Already Invested in Essential Utilities?

The danger of trading Essential Utilities is mainly related to its market volatility and Company specific events. As an investor, you must understand the concept of risk-adjusted return before you start trading. The most common way to measure the risk of Essential Utilities is by using the Sharpe ratio. The ratio expresses how much excess return you acquire for the extra volatility you endure for holding a more risker asset than Essential Utilities. The Sharpe ratio is calculated by using standard deviation and excess return to determine reward per unit of risk. To understand how volatile Essential Utilities is, you must compare it to a benchmark. Traditionally, the risk-free rate of return is the rate of return on the shortest-dated U.S. Treasury, such as a 3-year bond.
When determining whether Essential Utilities is a strong investment it is important to analyze Essential Utilities' competitive position within its industry, examining market share, product or service uniqueness, and competitive advantages. Beyond financials and market position, potential investors should also consider broader economic conditions, industry trends, and any regulatory or geopolitical factors that may impact Essential Utilities' future performance. For an informed investment choice regarding Essential Stock, refer to the following important reports:
Check out Your Current Watchlist to better understand how to build diversified portfolios, which includes a position in Essential Utilities. Also, note that the market value of any company could be closely tied with the direction of predictive economic indicators such as signals in metropolitan statistical area.
For more detail on how to invest in Essential Stock please use our How to Invest in Essential Utilities guide.
You can also try the Piotroski F Score module to get Piotroski F Score based on the binary analysis strategy of nine different fundamentals.
Is Water Utilities space expected to grow? Or is there an opportunity to expand the business' product line in the future? Factors like these will boost the valuation of Essential Utilities. If investors know Essential will grow in the future, the company's valuation will be higher. The financial industry is built on trying to define current growth potential and future valuation accurately. All the valuation information about Essential Utilities listed above have to be considered, but the key to understanding future value is determining which factors weigh more heavily than others.
Quarterly Earnings Growth
(0.17)
Dividend Share
1.247
Earnings Share
1.99
Revenue Per Share
7.169
Quarterly Revenue Growth
0.058
The market value of Essential Utilities is measured differently than its book value, which is the value of Essential that is recorded on the company's balance sheet. Investors also form their own opinion of Essential Utilities' value that differs from its market value or its book value, called intrinsic value, which is Essential Utilities' true underlying value. Investors use various methods to calculate intrinsic value and buy a stock when its market value falls below its intrinsic value. Because Essential Utilities' market value can be influenced by many factors that don't directly affect Essential Utilities' underlying business (such as a pandemic or basic market pessimism), market value can vary widely from intrinsic value.
In summary, please note that there is a difference between Essential Utilities' value and its price, as these two are different measures arrived at by various means. Investors typically determine if Essential Utilities is a good investment by looking at such factors as earnings, sales, fundamental and technical indicators, competition as well as analyst projections. However, Essential Utilities' price is the amount at which it trades on the open market and represents the number that a seller and buyer find agreeable to each party.