Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) Shares Acquired by Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) by 13.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 92,272 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 10,718 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $3,648,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Essential Utilities by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 25,255 shares of the company's stock worth $998,000 after buying an additional 1,867 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the fourth quarter worth $638,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,071,868 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,250,000 after acquiring an additional 199,936 shares in the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Essential Utilities in the fourth quarter valued at $1,290,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Essential Utilities by 16.9% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,627 shares of the company's stock valued at $578,000 after purchasing an additional 2,117 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.78% of the company's stock.

Essential Utilities Price Performance

NYSE:WTRG traded down $0.52 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $37.16. 998,674 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,535,225. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.65. The company has a market cap of $10.42 billion, a PE ratio of 16.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.79. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $38.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.70. Essential Utilities Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.18 and a 1 year high of $41.78.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $783.63 million during 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%. The company's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.97 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Essential Utilities Inc. will post 1.99 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on WTRG shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, April 20th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Essential Utilities from $47.00 to $46.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.50.

Essential Utilities 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.