Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) Holdings Lifted by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its position in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) by 8.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 104,213 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,929 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $3,785,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WTRG. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Essential Utilities by 108.2% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 150,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,460,000 after purchasing an additional 78,121 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in Essential Utilities by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 70,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,546,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Essential Utilities during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $60,000. First National Corp MA ADV lifted its stake in Essential Utilities by 81.5% during the fourth quarter. First National Corp MA ADV now owns 28,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,049,000 after purchasing an additional 12,976 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Essential Utilities by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 77,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,822,000 after purchasing an additional 902 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Essential Utilities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $43.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Essential Utilities presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.00.

Essential Utilities Stock Down 1.7 %

Essential Utilities stock opened at $35.21 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $9.67 billion, a PE ratio of 17.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.86. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $35.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.07. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.18 and a twelve month high of $41.78.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $0.3255 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.70%. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.00%.

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.