720 Shares in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) Bought by VSM Wealth Advisory LLC

VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 720 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in Essential Utilities by 1.8% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 14,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its position in Essential Utilities by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 6,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in Essential Utilities by 61.4% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 773 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its position in Essential Utilities by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 70,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,546,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC increased its position in Essential Utilities by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 19,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $709,000 after buying an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. 74.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essential Utilities Price Performance

WTRG stock opened at $38.82 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $36.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.85. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.18 and a 12-month high of $41.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $10.67 billion, a PE ratio of 19.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.79.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.01. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 7.89% and a net margin of 27.84%. The firm had revenue of $604.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $698.77 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.99 EPS for the current year.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $0.3255 per share. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WTRG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.50.

About Essential Utilities

Essential Utilities, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates regulated utilities that provide water, wastewater, or natural gas services in the United States. The company operates through Regulated Water and Regulated Natural Gas segments. It offers water services through operating and maintenance contract with municipal authorities and other parties.