First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown Has $3.94 Million Stock Position in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG)

First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown decreased its stake in Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) by 6.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 108,392 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,067 shares during the period. Essential Utilities comprises approximately 0.8% of First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown’s holdings in Essential Utilities were worth $3,936,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Essential Utilities in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised 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 buying an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Essential Utilities during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Essential Utilities by 81.2% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 515 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Essential Utilities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $43.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Essential Utilities from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Essential Utilities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.00.

Essential Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WTRG opened at $35.57 on Thursday. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.18 and a twelve month high of $41.78. The firm has a market cap of $9.77 billion, a PE ratio of 17.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.86. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $35.64 and a 200-day moving average of $37.96.

Essential Utilities Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $0.3255 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.66%. Essential Utilities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.00%.

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.