Apella Capital LLC Has $275,000 Holdings in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

Apella Capital LLC trimmed its stake in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) by 11.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,580 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the period. Apella Capital LLC’s holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $275,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WTRG. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Essential Utilities in the third quarter worth $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Essential Utilities during the third quarter worth $28,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Essential Utilities by 61.4% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 773 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in Essential Utilities in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essential Utilities Stock Performance

NYSE WTRG opened at $34.49 on Thursday. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a 1-year low of $33.18 and a 1-year high of $41.78. The company has a 50 day moving average of $37.85 and a 200-day moving average of $38.75. 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 firm has a market cap of $9.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.25, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.86.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $435.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $416.95 million. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 7.89% and a net margin of 27.84%. The business’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.30 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 2.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.3255 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.78%. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on WTRG. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Essential Utilities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $43.00 to $39.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Essential Utilities from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $44.00 to $41.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of Essential Utilities in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.00.

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.