Essential Utilities Inc. $WTRG Shares Acquired by AMF Tjanstepension AB

AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) by 17.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 124,096 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,594 shares during the period. AMF Tjanstepension AB’s holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $4,614,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 16.5% during the first quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 2,476,811 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,908,000 after purchasing an additional 349,904 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 3.9% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,438,783 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,405,000 after purchasing an additional 92,112 shares in the last quarter. Maple Brown Abbott Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Essential Utilities during the first quarter worth $94,251,000. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC increased its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 6.1% during the first quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC now owns 2,166,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,653,000 after purchasing an additional 123,786 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 1.5% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,103,777 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,162,000 after purchasing an additional 31,909 shares in the last quarter. 74.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essential Utilities Price Performance

Shares of WTRG opened at $39.39 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $38.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.53. The company has a market capitalization of $11.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.73. Essential Utilities Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.18 and a fifty-two week high of $41.65.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $514.91 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $462.70 million. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 10.10% and a net margin of 27.62%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.28 EPS. Essential Utilities has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.070-2.110 EPS. Research analysts predict 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 3.5%. Essential Utilities’s payout ratio is 58.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WTRG shares. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Essential Utilities from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Essential Utilities in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. UBS Group upped their target price on Essential Utilities from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Essential Utilities in a research report on Thursday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $42.00 target price on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.00.

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.