Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) Shares Sold by Amundi

Amundi trimmed its position in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) by 13.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,802,951 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,028,507 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned about 2.48% of Essential Utilities worth $244,604,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WTRG. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Essential Utilities during the third quarter worth $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Essential Utilities during the third quarter worth $28,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake 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 during the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in Essential Utilities during the third quarter worth $42,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on WTRG. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Essential Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $41.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. One 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, Essential Utilities currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $43.50.

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Essential Utilities Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE WTRG traded up $0.55 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $39.10. 1,400,688 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,596,387. The company has a 50 day moving average of $36.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.18 and a 52-week high of $41.78. The firm has a market cap of $10.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.55, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.79.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 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 $604.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $698.77 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.3255 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. Essential Utilities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.91%.

Essential Utilities 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.