Vontobel Holding Ltd. Has $3.79 Million Stake in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its position in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 104,213 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 7,929 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $3,785,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 14,243 shares of the company's stock valued at $549,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 61.4% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 773 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the period. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 1,685 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 70,100 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,546,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,946 shares of the company's stock valued at $180,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the period. 74.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Essential Utilities Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE:WTRG traded up $0.43 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $35.95. 1,695,827 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,414,955. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.18 and a fifty-two week high of $41.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.97, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.86.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given 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 3.62%. Essential Utilities's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on WTRG. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Essential Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $41.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Essential Utilities from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $43.00 to $39.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Essential Utilities 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.