Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Makes New Investment in Essential Utilities Inc. $WTRG

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new position in Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 756,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,034,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Essential Utilities in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new stake in Essential Utilities in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 1,163.8% during the third quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 733 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 31,466.7% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 947 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 944 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Essential Utilities by 43.6% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. 74.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WTRG shares. UBS Group raised shares of Essential Utilities from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $41.00 to $43.00 in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essential Utilities in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Argus raised shares of Essential Utilities to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.80.

Key Stories Impacting Essential Utilities

Here are the key news stories impacting Essential Utilities this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts kept Essential Utilities at a consensus “Hold” rating, suggesting limited near-term conviction either way. Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research lowered its FY2026 EPS forecast for Essential Utilities to $2.10 from $2.24, signaling softer near-term earnings expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also trimmed its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $0.54 from $0.57, adding to the cautious tone on the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: The firm raised several longer-dated estimates, including Q1 2027 and FY2028, which suggests analysts still see earnings growth potential over time.

Essential Utilities Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of WTRG stock opened at $36.94 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $38.95 and a 200-day moving average of $39.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Essential Utilities Inc. has a 12-month low of $36.32 and a 12-month high of $42.37. The company has a market capitalization of $10.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.75 and a beta of 0.67.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $861.76 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $782.90 million. Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 8.34% and a net margin of 21.82%.The firm’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.03 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Essential Utilities Inc. will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.