Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Purchases New Shares in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 206,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,511,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.08% of Essential Utilities as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,061,135 shares of the company's stock worth $1,091,820,000 after buying an additional 2,245,256 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in Essential Utilities by 31.2% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 6,726,215 shares of the company's stock valued at $244,296,000 after acquiring an additional 1,597,672 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Essential Utilities by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,317,312 shares of the company's stock valued at $156,526,000 after acquiring an additional 11,336 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Essential Utilities by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,690,116 shares of the company's stock valued at $134,025,000 after purchasing an additional 236,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Essential Utilities by 22.0% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,331,090 shares of the company's stock worth $120,985,000 after purchasing an additional 601,026 shares during the last quarter. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essential Utilities Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Essential Utilities stock traded up $0.02 on Monday, hitting $38.55. The stock had a trading volume of 1,105,114 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,478,492. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a one year low of $33.18 and a one year high of $41.78. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $39.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $37.96. The stock has a market cap of $10.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.28, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.85.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on WTRG shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Essential Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 20th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Essential Utilities from $47.00 to $46.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.