First National Corp MA ADV Sells 13,580 Shares of Essential Utilities Inc. $WTRG

Key Points

• First National Corp MA ADV reduced its stake in Essential Utilities Inc. by 22.2%, selling 13,580 shares and retaining 47,548 shares valued at approximately $1.77 million.
• Essential Utilities reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.38 for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations by $0.09, with a total revenue of $514.91 million.
• The company has increased its quarterly dividend to $0.3426 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 3.6% and a payout ratio of 58.80%.

First National Corp MA ADV lessened its stake in shares of Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) by 22.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,548 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,580 shares during the quarter. First National Corp MA ADV's holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $1,766,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Essential Utilities during the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in Essential Utilities during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. American National Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Essential Utilities during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. National Pension Service boosted its position in Essential Utilities by 75.0% during the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 950 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Essential Utilities during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Institutional investors own 74.78% of the company's stock.

Essential Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of WTRG stock opened at $37.81 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The business has a fifty day moving average of $38.27 and a 200 day moving average of $38.64. Essential Utilities Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.18 and a 1 year high of $41.65.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.09. The company 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.28 EPS. Essential Utilities has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.070-2.110 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Essential Utilities Inc. will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Utilities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th were 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 was Tuesday, August 12th. This represents a $1.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Essential Utilities's payout ratio is 58.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Essential Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 31st. Zacks Research lowered Essential Utilities from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Essential Utilities from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Essential Utilities from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $44.50.

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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