Trillium Asset Management LLC Has $2.35 Million Holdings in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

Trillium Asset Management LLC decreased its position in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 64,679 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,231 shares during the period. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $2,349,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 6,811,851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $247,134,000 after purchasing an additional 972,803 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Essential Utilities by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,305,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $165,701,000 after acquiring an additional 82,456 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Essential Utilities by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,731,011 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,190,000 after acquiring an additional 175,707 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. grew its stake in Essential Utilities by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 2,531,297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,632,000 after acquiring an additional 100,990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,154,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,088,000 after purchasing an additional 145,767 shares during the period. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essential Utilities Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:WTRG opened at $39.14 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.76 billion, a PE ratio of 19.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.79. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.18 and a 1 year high of $41.78. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $36.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $37.84.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last released its quarterly 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 the consensus estimate of $698.77 million. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 7.89% and a net margin of 27.84%. Analysts expect that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a $0.3255 dividend. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is 59.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded 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 dropped their target price on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.50.

Essential Utilities 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.