Rep. Lisa C. McClain Sells Off Shares of Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

Representative Lisa C. McClain (R-Michigan) recently sold shares of Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG). In a filing disclosed on November 21st, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Essential Utilities stock on October 30th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “CHARLES SCHWAB BROKERAGE ACCOUNT 924” account.

Representative Lisa C. McClain also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Ciena (NYSE:CIEN) on 10/31/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) on 10/31/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Coherent (NYSE:COHR) on 10/31/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Clorox (NYSE:CLX) on 10/31/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) on 10/31/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC) on 10/31/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Home BancShares (NYSE:HOMB) on 10/31/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE) on 10/31/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Pure Storage (NYSE:PSTG) on 10/31/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of BHP Group (NYSE:BHP) on 10/31/2025.

Essential Utilities Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:WTRG traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $39.72. 702,382 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,842,033. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $39.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.61. Essential Utilities Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.18 and a 1 year high of $42.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.84.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.06. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 10.10% and a net margin of 27.62%.The firm had revenue of $476.97 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $472.40 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.25 EPS. Essential Utilities’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Essential Utilities Inc. will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be paid a $0.3426 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.85%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essential Utilities

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WTRG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Essential Utilities by 587.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,071,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $162,472,000 after acquiring an additional 3,479,762 shares during the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Essential Utilities in the third quarter valued at about $128,137,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Essential Utilities in the second quarter worth about $102,347,000. Maple Brown Abbott Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Essential Utilities in the first quarter worth about $94,251,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 25.5% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 8,972,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,057,000 after purchasing an additional 1,822,306 shares during the period. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WTRG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Baird R W downgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 11th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essential Utilities in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Northcoast Research set a $46.00 target price on shares of Essential Utilities in a research note on Monday, October 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.57.

About Representative McClain

Lisa McClain (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Michigan’s 9th Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2023. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

McClain (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Michigan’s 9th Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Lisa McClain lives in Romeo, Michigan. McClain earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northwood University. Her career experience includes founding and working as the president of North End Support Team.

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.