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

Middlesex Water Company (NASDAQ:MSEX)’s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $53.64 and traded as high as $59.08. Middlesex Water shares last traded at $58.73, with a volume of 77,352 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on MSEX. Weiss Ratings upgraded Middlesex Water from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Middlesex Water from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $66.00 target price on shares of Middlesex Water in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, New Street Research set a $64.00 target price on shares of Middlesex Water in a report on Thursday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $61.67.

Middlesex Water Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $55.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $53.64. The stock has a market cap of $1.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.68 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.50.

Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $56.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $54.51 million. Middlesex Water had a return on equity of 9.59% and a net margin of 23.26%.

Middlesex Water Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Middlesex Water’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.60%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Lorrie Beth Ginegaw sold 615 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.61, for a total value of $35,430.15. Following the sale, the vice president owned 3,978 shares in the company, valued at approximately $229,172.58. This trade represents a 13.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Middlesex Water

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MSEX. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Middlesex Water by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 147,013 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,652,000 after purchasing an additional 17,800 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Middlesex Water by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,398,851 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $70,530,000 after purchasing an additional 25,363 shares in the last quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC raised its stake in shares of Middlesex Water by 28.3% in the fourth quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC now owns 50,956 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,569,000 after purchasing an additional 11,251 shares in the last quarter. TSP Capital Management Group LLC lifted its position in Middlesex Water by 11.8% in the first quarter. TSP Capital Management Group LLC now owns 210,332 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,948,000 after purchasing an additional 22,254 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Middlesex Water by 178.8% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 28,664 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,492,000 after purchasing an additional 18,382 shares during the period. 79.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Middlesex Water

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.