Quantbot Technologies LP Invests $5.95 Million in Essential Utilities Inc. $WTRG

Posted by George Bondi on Aug 23rd, 2026

Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE:WTRG – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 155,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,949,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new position in shares of Essential Utilities during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Essential Utilities in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Essential Utilities in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Essential Utilities to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, July 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essential Utilities in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group upped their target price on Essential Utilities from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Essential Utilities from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.00.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on WTRG

Insider Activity at Essential Utilities

In other news, insider Colleen Arnold sold 2,855 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.55, for a total value of $112,915.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 17,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $686,073.85. This represents a 14.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Essential Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of WTRG stock opened at $40.18 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $39.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.97. Essential Utilities Inc. has a 52 week low of $36.10 and a 52 week high of $42.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company has a market cap of $11.40 billion, a PE ratio of 20.50 and a beta of 0.64.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.01. Essential Utilities had a net margin of 21.60% and a return on equity of 8.23%. The business had revenue of $530.85 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $538.90 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.38 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Essential Utilities Inc. will post 2.21 EPS for the current year.

Essential Utilities Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.3606 per share. This is a boost from Essential Utilities’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. Essential Utilities’s payout ratio is presently 73.47%.

Essential Utilities Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.