AGP Franklin LLC Purchases Shares of 12,119 Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

AGP Franklin LLC acquired a new position in shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 12,119 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $440,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 75.0% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,104 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Essential Utilities in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 98.9% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 778 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at $60,000. 74.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essential Utilities Stock Performance

WTRG stock traded up $0.45 on Friday, reaching $40.50. 962,788 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,481,959. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.16 billion, a PE ratio of 20.25, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.80. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.18 and a 12 month high of $41.78. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $38.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.39.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.01. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.84% and a return on equity of 7.89%. The business had revenue of $604.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $698.77 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be issued a $0.3255 dividend. This represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. Essential Utilities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WTRG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Essential Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Essential Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $41.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.50.

Essential Utilities Company Profile

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.