Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) Shares Sold by Continuum Advisory LLC

Continuum Advisory LLC lessened its stake in shares of Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) by 33.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,320 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,712 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC's holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $685,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Essential Utilities in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 473 shares during the period. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, CX Institutional purchased a new stake in Essential Utilities in the 1st quarter valued at about $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.78% of the company's stock.

Essential Utilities Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE WTRG traded down $0.16 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $37.85. The stock had a trading volume of 1,351,587 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,520,600. Essential Utilities Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.18 and a twelve month high of $41.78. The company has a market capitalization of $10.61 billion, a PE ratio of 16.97, a PEG ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $39.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $37.76.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.17% and a return on equity of 9.81%. The firm had revenue of $783.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $713.80 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.97 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Essential Utilities Inc. will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WTRG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $47.00 to $46.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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, Wall Street Zen raised Essential Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 20th. Two 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, Essential Utilities presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.