2,473 Shares in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) Acquired by Crews Bank & Trust

Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $90,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Essential Utilities in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Essential Utilities by 61.4% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in Essential Utilities during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

Essential Utilities Price Performance

Shares of Essential Utilities stock opened at $35.46 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a fifty day moving average of $36.80 and a 200-day moving average of $38.49. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.18 and a 52-week high of $41.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.55.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 7.89% and a net margin of 27.84%. The firm had revenue of $435.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $416.95 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.99 EPS for the current year.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.3255 per share. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.67%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird 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, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Essential Utilities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $43.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.00.

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.