Boston Trust Walden Corp Boosts Stake in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its stake in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) by 8.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,126,907 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 164,215 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned 0.77% of Essential Utilities worth $77,249,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 4,309.4% in the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 1,255,483 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,424,000 after purchasing an additional 1,227,010 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position 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 during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the third quarter valued at about $30,842,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 33.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 953,984 shares of the company's stock worth $36,795,000 after acquiring an additional 237,096 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Essential Utilities in the third quarter worth approximately $7,301,000. Institutional investors own 74.78% of the company's stock.

Essential Utilities Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE WTRG traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $35.34. 816,695 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,493,483. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.55. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a one year low of $33.18 and a one year high of $41.78. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $36.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.33. The company has a market cap of $9.70 billion, a PE ratio of 17.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.87.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $435.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $416.95 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.84% and a return on equity of 7.89%. Essential Utilities's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.30 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.99 EPS for the current year.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.3255 per share. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. Essential Utilities's dividend payout ratio is currently 65.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WTRG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $41.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Essential Utilities from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $43.00 to $39.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Essential Utilities currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.