Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) Shares Sold by Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. trimmed its position in shares of Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) by 9.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 92,300 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,100 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.'s holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $3,649,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WTRG. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Essential Utilities during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Essential Utilities during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Essential Utilities by 75.0% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,104 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the period. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Essential Utilities during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, CX Institutional acquired a new position in Essential Utilities during the 1st quarter valued at about $42,000. 74.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essential Utilities Stock Down 0.9%

WTRG stock opened at $37.05 on Wednesday. Essential Utilities Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.18 and a 12 month high of $41.78. The firm has a market cap of $10.39 billion, a PE ratio of 16.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.57.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

About Essential Utilities

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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