Stephens Inc. AR Trims Stock Holdings in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

Stephens Inc. AR lessened its stake in shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,948 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,498 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $2,214,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the second quarter worth about $630,000. CWM LLC grew its stake in Essential Utilities by 13.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 11,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $463,000 after acquiring an additional 1,397 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt raised its holdings in Essential Utilities by 710.0% in the 3rd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 8,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 7,100 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essential Utilities during the 3rd quarter worth $293,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 2.1% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 67,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,614,000 after purchasing an additional 1,412 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

Essential Utilities Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE WTRG opened at $35.38 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.69, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.55. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a one year low of $33.18 and a one year high of $41.78. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $36.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.20.

Essential Utilities Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $0.3255 dividend. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Essential Utilities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $43.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.00.

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.