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

Middlesex Water Company (NASDAQ:MSEX) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $53.19 and traded as high as $53.94. Middlesex Water shares last traded at $53.80, with a volume of 120,757 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on MSEX. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Middlesex Water in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Loop Capital set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Middlesex Water in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, New Street Research set a $52.00 target price on shares of Middlesex Water in a report on Friday, December 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Middlesex Water currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.00.

Middlesex Water Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $52.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $53.20. The firm has a market cap of $996.38 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.86.

Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.49 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $46.98 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $46.91 million. Middlesex Water had a return on equity of 9.09% and a net margin of 21.99%. On average, analysts expect that Middlesex Water Company will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Middlesex Water Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Middlesex Water’s payout ratio is presently 61.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Middlesex Water news, Director Robert N. Hoglund bought 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $54.31 per share, with a total value of $108,620.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $108,620. This represents a ? increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MSEX. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Middlesex Water by 531.0% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 6,077 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $306,000 after acquiring an additional 5,114 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Middlesex Water by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 11,328 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $571,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Middlesex Water by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,699,403 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $85,684,000 after purchasing an additional 66,174 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Middlesex Water by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 307,594 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $15,509,000 after purchasing an additional 17,261 shares during the period. Finally, Zimmer Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of Middlesex Water by 18.8% in the fourth quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 183,657 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,260,000 after purchasing an additional 29,100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.52% of the company’s stock.

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.