Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $13.13 Million Stake in Essential Utilities Inc. $WTRG

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in shares of Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) by 48.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 329,121 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 107,269 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.12% of Essential Utilities worth $13,132,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WTRG. SouthState Corp grew its holdings in Essential Utilities by 834.7% during the 2nd quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 701 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 626 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Essential Utilities in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities during the second quarter worth $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 141.2% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,213 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Essential Utilities in the third quarter valued at about $50,000. 74.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Essential Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of WTRG stock opened at $39.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.60. Essential Utilities Inc. has a 52 week low of $33.38 and a 52 week high of $42.37. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $38.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.83. The company has a market capitalization of $11.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.25 and a beta of 0.81.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.06. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 28.09% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The company had revenue of $476.97 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $472.40 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Essential Utilities Inc. will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on WTRG shares. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $45.00 target price (down previously from $46.00) on shares of Essential Utilities in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of Essential Utilities from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Robert W. Baird cut shares of Essential Utilities from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essential Utilities in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays set a $38.00 price target on shares of Essential Utilities and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $43.29.

About Essential Utilities

Essential Utilities, Inc, formerly known as Aqua America, is a publicly traded water and natural gas utility holding company. Through its regulated water and wastewater subsidiaries, the company provides essential water services to residential, commercial and industrial customers. In addition, Essential Utilities delivers natural gas distribution services in Pennsylvania through its Peoples Gas subsidiary, offering integrated utility solutions under a unified corporate framework.

The company traces its roots to the Philadelphia Suburban Water Company, founded in 1886 to serve growing communities outside Philadelphia.