Aurora Private Wealth Inc. Acquires Shares of 13,298 Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

Aurora Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 13,298 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $526,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Essential Utilities in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Essential Utilities during the first quarter worth $33,000. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Essential Utilities in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. CX Institutional acquired a new position in shares of Essential Utilities in the 1st quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 75.0% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,104 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.78% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Essential Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 20th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Essential Utilities from $47.00 to $46.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.50.

Essential Utilities Price Performance

Shares of WTRG stock traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $36.86. 2,203,831 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,544,605. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $38.50 and a 200 day moving average of $37.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Essential Utilities Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.18 and a 52-week high of $41.78. The company has a market cap of $10.33 billion, a PE ratio of 16.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.79.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $783.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $713.80 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.17% and a return on equity of 9.81%. Essential Utilities's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.97 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Essential Utilities Inc. will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current year.

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.