YHB Investment Advisors Inc. Has $226,000 Position in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

YHB Investment Advisors Inc. cut its stake in shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) by 19.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,235 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,535 shares during the quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $226,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in Essential Utilities in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Essential Utilities during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities by 61.4% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 773 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC acquired 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 Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of WTRG stock opened at $35.68 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $9.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.84, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.86. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.18 and a 52-week high of $41.78. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.57.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $435.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $416.95 million. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 7.89% and a net margin of 27.84%. Essential Utilities’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.30 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.99 EPS 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 issued a $0.3255 dividend. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WTRG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Essential Utilities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $43.00 to $39.00 in a research note 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 on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.00.

Essential Utilities Company 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.