Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC Purchases 1,867 Shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its position in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) by 8.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 25,255 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,867 shares during the quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC’s holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $998,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. American National Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Essential Utilities during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Essential Utilities by 75.0% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Essential Utilities during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Essential Utilities during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WTRG shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Essential Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $47.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.50.

Essential Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WTRG opened at $38.35 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.81. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $39.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.39. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.18 and a fifty-two week high of $41.78.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $783.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $713.80 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.84% and a return on equity of 7.89%. Essential Utilities’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.97 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current year.

About Essential Utilities

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.