Penserra Capital Management LLC Acquires Shares of 9,961 Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

Penserra Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 9,961 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $393,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Essential Utilities in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in Essential Utilities in the first quarter worth $33,000. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Essential Utilities in the first quarter worth $35,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, CX Institutional acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the first quarter worth $42,000. 74.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WTRG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird dropped 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, April 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.50.

Essential Utilities Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of WTRG stock opened at $37.29 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Essential Utilities Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.18 and a 1 year high of $41.78. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $38.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.72, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.79.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $783.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $713.80 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.97 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Essential Utilities Inc. will post 1.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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