BRYN MAWR, Pa. (AP) _ Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) on Wednesday reported first-quarter profit of $51.8 million.

On a per-share basis, the Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania-based company said it had profit of 20 cents. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 60 cents per share.

The water utility posted revenue of $255.6 million in the period.

Essential Utilities expects full-year earnings in the range of $1.53 to $1.58 per share.

Essential Utilities shares have fallen 13% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Wednesday, shares hit $40.67, a climb of roughly 8% in the last 12 months.

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

Automated Insights, source Associated Press News