Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Boosts Stock Position in Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in Essential Utilities Inc. by 4.0% during the first quarter, now owning 215,001 shares valued at approximately $8.5 million.
• Essential Utilities Inc. reported earnings of $1.03 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates and marking a 28% year-over-year revenue increase.
• Wall Street analysts have given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Essential Utilities, with an average price target set at $43.50.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its position in shares of Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG - Free Report) by 4.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 215,001 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,196 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.08% of Essential Utilities worth $8,499,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WTRG. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in Essential Utilities in the first quarter worth about $1,507,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC raised its stake in Essential Utilities by 8.0% in the first quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 25,255 shares of the company's stock worth $998,000 after buying an additional 1,867 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in Essential Utilities in the fourth quarter worth about $638,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its stake in Essential Utilities by 14.2% in the first quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 9,775 shares of the company's stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 1,218 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Essential Utilities by 13.1% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 92,272 shares of the company's stock worth $3,648,000 after buying an additional 10,718 shares in the last quarter. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WTRG. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Essential Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Essential Utilities from $47.00 to $46.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.50.

Essential Utilities Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WTRG opened at $37.07 on Friday. Essential Utilities Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.18 and a fifty-two week high of $41.78. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.81. The company has a market capitalization of $10.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.65.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share 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 business 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 earned $0.97 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Essential Utilities Inc. will post 1.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Utilities Company 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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