AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Sells 64,178 Shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc reduced its holdings in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 984,643 shares of the company's stock after selling 64,178 shares during the quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc owned about 0.36% of Essential Utilities worth $35,762,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 1.6% in the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 51,881 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,001,000 after buying an additional 803 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Essential Utilities by 18.6% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,500,150 shares of the company's stock worth $56,002,000 after buying an additional 234,857 shares in the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,585,475 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,152,000 after buying an additional 84,596 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 16.7% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 6,811,851 shares of the company's stock valued at $247,134,000 after buying an additional 972,803 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new position in shares of Essential Utilities during the 2nd quarter worth about $708,000. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Essential Utilities Price Performance

WTRG traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $33.49. The company had a trading volume of 1,653,544 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,111,297. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.18 and a twelve month high of $41.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.55. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $37.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.58. The company has a market capitalization of $9.20 billion, a PE ratio of 16.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.86.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 7.89% and a net margin of 27.84%. The company had revenue of $435.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $416.95 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.30 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $0.3255 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.89%. Essential Utilities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on WTRG shares. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Essential Utilities from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $44.00 to $41.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Essential Utilities from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their target price for the company from $43.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.00.

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.