Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) Downgraded by StockNews.com to "Sell"

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

WTRG has been the topic of a number of other reports. UBS Group dropped their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Essential Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $41.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Essential Utilities has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.50.

Essential Utilities Stock Down 0.6 %

Essential Utilities stock traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $39.91. 1,479,349 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,485,850. The company has a market cap of $11.00 billion, a PE ratio of 19.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $38.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.84. 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 has a 12 month low of $33.18 and a 12 month high of $41.78.

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Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $604.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $698.77 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.84% and a return on equity of 7.89%. As a group, analysts expect that Essential Utilities will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Essential Utilities

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Essential Utilities by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,061,135 shares of the company's stock worth $1,091,820,000 after purchasing an additional 2,245,256 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 6,811,851 shares of the company's stock worth $247,134,000 after buying an additional 972,803 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 31.2% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 6,726,215 shares of the company's stock worth $244,296,000 after buying an additional 1,597,672 shares during the period. 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 valued at $156,526,000 after acquiring an additional 11,336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Essential Utilities by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,690,116 shares of the company's stock worth $134,025,000 after acquiring an additional 236,250 shares during the last quarter. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.