Community Bank N.A. Sells 410 Shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

Community Bank N.A. decreased its position in shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 23,624 shares of the company’s stock after selling 410 shares during the period. Community Bank N.A.’s holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $858,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Glenmede Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 51,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,001,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 92.8% during the 4th quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 148,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,529,000 after purchasing an additional 71,222 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 6,811,851 shares of the company’s stock worth $247,134,000 after purchasing an additional 972,803 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the 4th quarter worth $638,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,871,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,200,000 after purchasing an additional 149,162 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

Essential Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of WTRG stock opened at $38.39 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $36.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.83. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.18 and a 12 month high of $41.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.20, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 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 $604.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $698.77 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.99 EPS for the current year.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $0.3255 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.39%. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.50.

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.