Radnor Capital Management LLC Sells 18,332 Shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

Radnor Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) by 30.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,020 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,332 shares during the quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC's holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $1,622,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Essential Utilities during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. American National Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Essential Utilities during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 75.0% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,104 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares in the last quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Essential Utilities in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Essential Utilities in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 74.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essential Utilities Trading Down 0.0%

WTRG traded down $0.01 during trading on Friday, hitting $37.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,313,631 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,496,955. The stock has a market cap of $10.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.83, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.39. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.18 and a twelve month high of $41.78. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $39.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.93.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.23. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 7.89% and a net margin of 27.84%. The business had revenue of $783.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $713.80 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.97 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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