Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Decreases Holdings in Essential Utilities Inc. $WTRG

Key Points

• Epoch Investment Partners Inc. reduced its stake in Essential Utilities Inc. by 1.6% in the first quarter, holding approximately 1,177,943 shares valued at $46.5 million at the end of the reporting period.
• Several large investors, including Northern Trust Corp and Boston Trust Walden Corp, increased their stakes in Essential Utilities, indicating continued interest in the company.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed opinions, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target ranging from $44.50 to $47.00, reflecting varying confidence in the stock's future performance.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) by 1.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,177,943 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,003 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned approximately 0.43% of Essential Utilities worth $46,564,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,331,090 shares of the company's stock worth $120,985,000 after acquiring an additional 601,026 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 16.5% in the 1st quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 2,476,811 shares of the company's stock worth $97,908,000 after acquiring an additional 349,904 shares during the last quarter. Maple Brown Abbott Ltd purchased a new stake in Essential Utilities in the 1st quarter worth about $94,251,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,346,671 shares of the company's stock worth $85,231,000 after acquiring an additional 192,456 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC now owns 2,166,797 shares of the company's stock worth $85,653,000 after acquiring an additional 123,786 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.78% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on WTRG shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Essential Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Essential Utilities from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Essential Utilities from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $44.50.

Essential Utilities Stock Up 0.0%

WTRG stock opened at $39.10 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.96 billion, a PE ratio of 16.78, a PEG ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.78. Essential Utilities Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.18 and a twelve month high of $41.65. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.38.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $514.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $462.70 million. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 10.10% and a net margin of 27.62%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.28 EPS. Essential Utilities has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.070-2.110 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Essential Utilities Inc. will post 1.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Utilities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $0.3426 per share. This is a boost from Essential Utilities's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 12th. This represents a $1.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Essential Utilities's dividend payout ratio is 58.80%.

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.

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