Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX) Stock Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Middlesex Water Company (NASDAQ:MSEX) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $53.42 and traded as high as $54.29. Middlesex Water shares last traded at $53.19, with a volume of 101,127 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MSEX. New Street Research set a $52.00 target price on Middlesex Water in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Middlesex Water in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Middlesex Water from $73.00 to $63.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Middlesex Water has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.33.

Middlesex Water Stock Down 2.3%

The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.42. The company has a market cap of $975.50 million, a PE ratio of 22.26, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX) last announced its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.86 by ($0.09). Middlesex Water had a return on equity of 9.38% and a net margin of 22.08%.The business had revenue of $54.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $56.08 million. On average, analysts predict that Middlesex Water Company will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Middlesex Water Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. This is a positive change from Middlesex Water’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Middlesex Water’s payout ratio is 60.25%.

Institutional Trading of Middlesex Water

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MSEX. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Middlesex Water by 483.5% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 566 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Middlesex Water by 137.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 635 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 368 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Middlesex Water by 35.8% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 645 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Middlesex Water in the second quarter valued at approximately $72,000. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Middlesex Water by 31.6% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,742 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.52% of the company’s stock.

Middlesex Water Company Profile

Middlesex Water Company is a regulated utility specializing in the provision of potable water and wastewater collection services to residential, commercial and industrial customers. The company operates through its wholly owned subsidiaries, supplying treated water and effectively managing sewage collection systems under state and local regulatory frameworks. Its core mission centers on delivering safe, reliable water while complying with stringent environmental and public health standards.

Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey, Middlesex Water has grown from a local water works enterprise into a multi‐state utilities group.