Securian Asset Management Inc. Buys 542 Shares of Essential Utilities Inc. $WTRG

Securian Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,641 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 542 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $729,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WTRG. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Essential Utilities during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Essential Utilities during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new position in shares of Essential Utilities during the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. National Pension Service increased its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 75.0% during the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 950 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group increased its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 101.8% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 686 shares during the period. 74.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Essential Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WTRG opened at $41.24 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $39.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.58. Essential Utilities Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.18 and a 1 year high of $42.37.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $514.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $462.70 million. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 10.10%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.28 earnings per share. Essential Utilities has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.070-2.110 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Essential Utilities Inc. will post 1.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be given a $0.3426 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on WTRG shares. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Essential Utilities from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Zacks Research raised shares of Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Essential Utilities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Essential Utilities in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Essential Utilities presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.17.

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.