13,298 Shares in Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) Bought by Aurora Private Wealth Inc.

Aurora Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 13,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $526,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 15.6% in the first quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 105,125 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,156,000 after buying an additional 14,168 shares during the period. Blossom Wealth Management grew its position in Essential Utilities by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. Blossom Wealth Management now owns 17,615 shares of the company’s stock worth $696,000 after acquiring an additional 1,765 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its position in Essential Utilities by 14.2% during the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 9,775 shares of the company’s stock worth $386,000 after acquiring an additional 1,218 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Essential Utilities by 13.1% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 92,272 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,648,000 after purchasing an additional 10,718 shares during the period. Finally, Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC lifted its position in Essential Utilities by 8.4% in the first quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC now owns 11,330 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 879 shares during the last quarter. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essential Utilities Trading Down 2.0%

Essential Utilities stock opened at $37.09 on Thursday. Essential Utilities Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.18 and a 12-month high of $41.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $38.99 and a 200 day moving average of $37.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $783.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $713.80 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.17% and a return on equity of 9.81%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.97 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Essential Utilities Inc. will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WTRG. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $47.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Essential Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, April 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Essential Utilities from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Essential Utilities has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.