Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co Makes New Investment in Essential Utilities Inc. $WTRG

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co purchased a new stake in Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 45,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,726,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WTRG. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 1,163.8% during the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 733 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its holdings in Essential Utilities by 31,466.7% during the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 947 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 944 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Essential Utilities by 43.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the period. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Utilities in the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Institutional investors own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

Essential Utilities Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:WTRG opened at $36.94 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $38.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.00. Essential Utilities Inc. has a one year low of $36.32 and a one year high of $42.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.48 billion, a PE ratio of 18.75 and a beta of 0.67.

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

More Essential Utilities News

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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.