WTRG short interest surges, indicating growing pessimism among investors

Investors can speculate about the future of a stock by watching how its insiders buy and sell stocks. Essential Utilities Inc shares valued at $303,380 were sold by Franklin Chris on Mar 14 ’25. At $39.40 per share, Franklin Chris sold 7,700 shares. The insider’s holdings dropped to 32,229 shares worth approximately $1.19 million following the completion of this transaction.

Also, Chris Franklin purchased 7,700 shares, netting a total of over 303,380 in proceeds.

Before that, RUBIN ROBERT A had sold 2,342 shares from its account. In a trade valued at $87,661, the Chief Accounting Officer traded Essential Utilities Inc shares for $37.43 each. Upon closing the transaction, the insider’s holdings decreased to 2,342 shares, worth approximately $1.97 million.

As published in a research note from Jefferies on January 28, 2025, Essential Utilities Inc [WTRG] has been rated up from a Hold to a Buy and the price target has been revised to $41. Analysts at Wells Fargo downgraded the stock from ‘”an Overweight”‘ to ‘”an Equal weight”‘ outlook in a report released in early January. As of November 07, 2024, Jefferies has decreased its “Buy” rating to a “Hold” for WTRG. Earlier on October 07, 2024, Jefferies initiated its rating. Their recommendation was “a Buy” for WTRG stock.

Analyzing WTRG Stock Performance

On last trading session,, Essential Utilities Inc [NYSE: WTRG] plunged -0.32% to $36.97. The stock’s lowest price that day was $36.68, but it reached a high of $37.461 in the same session. During the last five days, there has been a drop of approximately -1.12%. Over the course of the year, Essential Utilities Inc shares have dropped approximately -2.56%. Shares of the company reached a 52-week high of $41.65 on 04/04/25 and a 52-week low of $33.18 on 01/13/25.

Support And Resistance Levels for Essential Utilities Inc (WTRG)

According to the 24-hour chart, there is a support level at 36.61, which, if violated, would cause prices to drop to 36.26. In the upper region, resistance lies at 37.39. The next price resistance is at 37.82. RSI (Relative Strength Index) is 39.10 on the 14-day chart, showing neutral technical sentiment.

Is Essential Utilities Inc subject to short interest?

Stocks of Essential Utilities Inc saw a sharp rise in short interest on 2025-06-13 jumping by 82948.0 shares to 4.45 million. Data from Yahoo Finance shows that the short interest on 2025-05-15 was 4.36 million shares. A jump of 1.87% in short interest reflects a negative sentiment towards the stock. Despite the fact that short shares comprise just 2.67 of the overall float, the days-to-cover ratio (short ratio) jumped to 2.67.

Which companies own the most shares of Essential Utilities Inc (WTRG)?

In terms of Essential Utilities Inc share price expectations, FactSet research, analysts set an average price target of 40.5 in the next 12 months, up nearly 9.19% from the previous closing price of $37.09. Analysts anticipate Essential Utilities Inc stock to reach 42 by 2025, with the lowest price target being 39. In spite of this, 4 analysts ranked Essential Utilities Inc stock as Buy at the end of 2025. On September 20, 2024, BofA Securities assigned a price target of “a Buy” to the stock and resumed coverage with a $45.

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