Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 2,818 Shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lowered its position in shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 187,062 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,818 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.07% of Essential Utilities worth $6,793,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WTRG. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Essential Utilities during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 75.0% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter worth about $60,000. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter worth about $90,000. Institutional investors own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

Essential Utilities Stock Performance

NYSE:WTRG opened at $39.27 on Monday. 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.82 billion, a PE ratio of 19.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.80. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.18 and a 52-week high of $41.78.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $604.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $698.77 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.84% and a return on equity of 7.89%. Analysts forecast that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.99 EPS for the current year.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be paid a $0.3255 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.32%. Essential Utilities’s payout ratio is presently 59.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on WTRG shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Evercore ISI boosted 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, March 5th. StockNews.com cut Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Jefferies Financial Group raised Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.50.

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.