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Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) Stock Analysis

Breakout setup

SellVALUE-TRAP 1/5Moderate Confidence

Utilities · Utilities - Regulated Water

Earnings in 6 days (2026-05-07). Expect elevated volatility around the report — consider waiting for post-earnings price action before new entries.

Sell if holding. Analyst target reached at $40.41 — A.R:R is negative (-2.0) — price has exceeded the analyst target. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Near 52-week high (5.0% away).

Essential Utilities, Inc., referred to as "Essential Utilities", "Essential", the "Company", "we", "us", or "our", a Pennsylvania corporation, is the holding company for regulated utilities providing water, wastewater, or natural gas services to an estimated 5.5 million people... Read more

$40.41+0.4% A.UpsideScore 5.1/10#2 of 6 Utilities - Regulated Water
Stop $38.32Target $40.41(resistance)A.R:R -2.0:1
Analyst target$41.20+2.0%5 analysts
$40.41our TP
$40.41price
$41.20mean
$38
$45

Sell if holding. Analyst target reached at $40.41 — A.R:R is negative (-2.0) — price has exceeded the analyst target. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Near 52-week high (5.0% away). Chart setup: Golden cross, above all MAs, RSI 47, MACD bullish. Score 5.1/10, moderate confidence.

Passes 4/7 gates (clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, news events none recent, semi cycle peak clear). Fails on weak momentum and favorable risk/reward ratio and earnings proximity 6d<=7d. Suitability: moderate.

Thesis

Rewards
Strong earnings beat streak (4/4)
Risks
Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining
Near 52-week high (5.0% away)
Leverage penalty (D/E 1.2): -0.5

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)17.9
P/E (Fwd)16.3
Mkt Cap$11.2B
EV/EBITDA14.6
Profit Mgn24.9%
ROE9.4%
Rev Growth15.7%
Beta0.77
Dividend3.47%
Rating analysts13

Quality Signals

Piotroski F6/9

Options Flow

P/C0.44bullish
IV70%elevated

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

1 floor-breaker

Growth below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static

Earnings Growth
0.0
Revenue Growth
6.4
GatesMomentum 4.5<4.5A.R:R -2.0=NEGATIVEEARNINGS PROXIMITY 6d<=7dInsider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsNEWS EVENTS NONE RECENTSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARBreakoutSuitability: Moderate
RSI
47 · Neutral
20D MA 50D MA 200D MAGOLDEN CROSSSupport $38.05Resistance $41.23

Price Targets

$38
$40
A.Upside0.0%
A.R:R-2.0:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0.5%
Max %1%
RegimeSteady

Risk Alerts

! Target reached (-11.0% upside)
! Momentum score 4.5/10 — below 4.5 minimum
! Negative risk/reward — downside exceeds upside

Earnings

B
B
B
B
4/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-05-07 (6d)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first
Loading history...
Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WTRG stock a buy right now?

Sell if holding. Analyst target reached at $40.41 — A.R:R is negative (-2.0) — price has exceeded the analyst target. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Near 52-week high (5.0% away). Chart setup: Golden cross, above all MAs, RSI 47, MACD bullish. Prior stop was $38.32. Score 5.1/10, moderate confidence.

What is the WTRG stock price target?

Take-profit target: $40.41 (+0.4% upside). Prior stop was $38.32. Stop-loss: $38.32.

What are the risks of investing in WTRG?

Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining; Near 52-week high (5.0% away); Leverage penalty (D/E 1.2): -0.5.

Is WTRG overvalued or undervalued?

Essential Utilities, Inc. trades at a P/E of 17.9 (forward 16.3). TrendMatrix value score: 5.1/10. Verdict: Sell.

What do analysts say about WTRG?

13 analysts cover WTRG with a consensus score of 3.7/5. Average price target: $41.

What does Essential Utilities, Inc. do?Essential Utilities, Inc., referred to as "Essential Utilities", "Essential", the "Company", "we", "us", or "our", a...

Essential Utilities, Inc., referred to as "Essential Utilities", "Essential", the "Company", "we", "us", or "our", a Pennsylvania corporation, is the holding company for regulated utilities providing water, wastewater, or natural gas services to an estimated 5.5 million people in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, Indiana, Virginia, and Kentucky under the Aqua and Peoples brands.

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