Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) Position Raised by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,601,633 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 27,641 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 0.58% of Essential Utilities worth $58,170,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WTRG. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its position in Essential Utilities by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,196,946 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,473,000 after buying an additional 32,548 shares in the last quarter. Commerce Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 7,728 shares of the company's stock valued at $281,000 after acquiring an additional 863 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its position in Essential Utilities by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 391,670 shares of the company's stock worth $14,220,000 after purchasing an additional 9,512 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 1,009.4% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 29,144 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,059,000 after purchasing an additional 26,517 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AGP Franklin LLC purchased a new position in Essential Utilities in the fourth quarter valued at about $440,000. 74.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essential Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of WTRG traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $40.89. The stock had a trading volume of 649,795 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,457,190. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.18 and a fifty-two week high of $41.78. 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 company has a market cap of $11.27 billion, a PE ratio of 20.44, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.85. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $39.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $37.99.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last released its 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 net margin of 27.84% and a return on equity of 7.89%. The firm had revenue of $604.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $698.77 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be paid a $0.3255 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.18%. Essential Utilities's payout ratio is currently 59.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WTRG. StockNews.com upgraded Essential Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, April 20th. UBS Group decreased their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of 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 stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $43.50.

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.