First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown Has $3.94 Million Stock Position in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown trimmed its position in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) by 6.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 108,392 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,067 shares during the quarter. Essential Utilities makes up approximately 0.8% of First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown’s holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $3,936,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northcape Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the fourth quarter worth approximately $489,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. bought a new position in Essential Utilities during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $504,000. Empower Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Essential Utilities by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,660,038 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,293,000 after acquiring an additional 74,563 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Essential Utilities by 6,305.9% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 187,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,291,000 after acquiring an additional 184,258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its position in Essential Utilities by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 10,668 shares of the company’s stock valued at $387,000 after acquiring an additional 1,398 shares in the last quarter. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group cut 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Essential Utilities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $43.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.00.

Essential Utilities Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE:WTRG opened at $35.57 on Thursday. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.18 and a 12 month high of $41.78. The firm has a market cap of $9.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company’s 50 day moving average is $35.64 and its 200-day moving average is $37.96.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $0.3255 dividend. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is 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.