Wills Financial Group Inc. Has $6.21 Million Stock Position in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

Wills Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 161,045 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,264 shares during the quarter. Essential Utilities accounts for approximately 2.6% of Wills Financial Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Wills Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $6,211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in Essential Utilities by 198.4% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 48,750 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,806,000 after buying an additional 32,415 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Essential Utilities in the 1st quarter worth $522,000. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,947 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 14.7% during the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 791 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 223.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 27,537 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,028,000 after purchasing an additional 19,013 shares during the period. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Essential Utilities Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE WTRG opened at $39.31 on Friday. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.57 and a 12 month high of $41.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $39.29 and a 200-day moving average of $38.89. The company has a market cap of $10.79 billion, a PE ratio of 19.66, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.85.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $435.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $416.95 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 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.30 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 2.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were paid a $0.3255 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is 65.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WTRG shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $43.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Essential Utilities from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $44.00 to $41.00 in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of Essential Utilities in a research report on Friday, September 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.00.

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.