Cwm LLC Has $463,000 Stock Holdings in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

Cwm LLC increased its position in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) by 13.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,995 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,397 shares during the quarter. Cwm LLC’s holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $463,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Essential Utilities by 17,553.7% in the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,425,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,156,000 after acquiring an additional 3,405,947 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. bought a new position in Essential Utilities during the 1st quarter worth $46,280,000. Energy Income Partners LLC acquired a new position in Essential Utilities during the 1st quarter worth about $26,917,000. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 350.3% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 903,372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,723,000 after buying an additional 702,760 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the second quarter valued at about $11,853,000. Institutional investors own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

Essential Utilities Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE:WTRG opened at $40.55 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $39.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.30. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.42 and a 12 month high of $41.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.78, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.02). Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 8.16% and a net margin of 28.74%. The firm had revenue of $434.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $442.76 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.34 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Utilities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $0.3255 per share. This is an increase from Essential Utilities’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WTRG shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Essential Utilities from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Essential Utilities from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Essential Utilities in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $44.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of Essential Utilities in a report on Friday, September 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Essential Utilities has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.80.

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.