UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Increases Stock Position in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,346,671 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 192,456 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.85% of Essential Utilities worth $85,231,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Essential Utilities by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 50,150 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,821,000 after buying an additional 1,490 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at about $638,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp grew its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 18.2% in the 4th quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 86,756 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,151,000 after buying an additional 13,362 shares during the period. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the 4th quarter worth approximately $422,000. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 22,255 shares of the company's stock valued at $809,000 after buying an additional 4,307 shares during the period. 74.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essential Utilities Stock Down 1.8%

WTRG stock traded down $0.71 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $38.13. The company had a trading volume of 1,379,420 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,468,519. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $39.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $10.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.85. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.18 and a fifty-two week high of $41.78.

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. The company had revenue of $783.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $713.80 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.84% and a return on equity of 7.89%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.97 EPS. Analysts forecast that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WTRG shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Essential Utilities from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $41.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $47.00 to $46.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Essential Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Essential Utilities 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.