Rep. Dan Newhouse Sells Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) Shares

Representative Dan Newhouse (R-Washington) recently sold shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. NYSE: WTRG. In a filing disclosed on May 16th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Essential Utilities stock on April 11th. The trade occurred in the Representative's "EDWARD JONES IRA" account.

Representative Dan Newhouse also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of PayPal NASDAQ: PYPL on 4/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of UnitedHealth Group NYSE: UNH on 4/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Moody's NYSE: MCO on 4/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of NVIDIA NASDAQ: NVDA on 4/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Dollar General NYSE: DG on 4/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Lowe's Companies NYSE: LOW on 4/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Intuit NASDAQ: INTU on 4/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Microsoft NASDAQ: MSFT on 4/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of BlackRock NYSE: BLK on 4/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Broadcom NASDAQ: AVGO on 4/11/2025.

Essential Utilities Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of WTRG traded down $0.64 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $38.19. 481,424 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,464,755. The company has a market capitalization of $10.71 billion, a PE ratio of 19.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a 1-year low of $33.18 and a 1-year high of $41.78. The business has a 50 day moving average of $39.42 and a 200 day moving average of $37.97.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $783.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $713.80 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.84% and a return on equity of 7.89%. The company's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.97 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.99 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Essential Utilities

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Synergy Asset Management LLC grew its position in Essential Utilities by 92.8% in the 4th quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 148,009 shares of the company's stock worth $5,529,000 after purchasing an additional 71,222 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at $638,000. RWC Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in shares of Essential Utilities during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,119,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Essential Utilities during the fourth quarter valued at $504,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,071,868 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,250,000 after purchasing an additional 199,936 shares during the last quarter. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WTRG shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $47.00 to $46.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Essential Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Essential Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $41.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.50.

About Representative Newhouse

Dan Newhouse (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Washington's 4th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2015. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Newhouse (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Washington's 4th Congressional District. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024. Click here to see Newhouse's key votes in Congress. Newhouse served as a member of the Washington House of Representatives representing District 15-Position 2 from 2003 through 2009 and as Washington Director of Agriculture from 2009 to 2013. Newhouse was first elected to the state House in 2002 and served until he was named state Director of Agriculture in 2009. He was first appointed by Governor Christine Gregoire on February 18, 2009.

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.