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

Aviva PLC decreased its holdings in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 715,212 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,125 shares during the period. Aviva PLC owned about 0.26% of Essential Utilities worth $25,976,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WTRG. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter worth $2,793,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in Essential Utilities by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 565,983 shares of the company's stock worth $20,557,000 after purchasing an additional 38,439 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Essential Utilities by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,317,312 shares of the company's stock worth $156,526,000 after purchasing an additional 11,336 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,046,443 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,007,000 after buying an additional 49,044 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rodgers Brothers Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 34.6% in the 4th quarter. Rodgers Brothers Inc. now owns 71,913 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,612,000 after buying an additional 18,475 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.78% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on WTRG shares. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. 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. StockNews.com upgraded Essential Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.50.

Essential Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of WTRG traded up $0.94 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $39.29. 571,761 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,485,138. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $37.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.82. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.18 and a 12-month high of $41.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.80.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $604.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $698.77 million. Equities 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 given a dividend of $0.3255 per share. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. Essential Utilities's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.91%.

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.