Centiva Capital LP Acquires Shares of 6,502 Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX)

Centiva Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 6,502 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $342,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in Middlesex Water by 120.2% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 7,332 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $386,000 after purchasing an additional 4,002 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Middlesex Water by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 57,260 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,014,000 after buying an additional 16,665 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in Middlesex Water by 751.4% during the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 91,530 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,817,000 after buying an additional 80,779 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Middlesex Water by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 223,361 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $11,755,000 after acquiring an additional 23,289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Middlesex Water in the 4th quarter worth approximately $428,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.52% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Dennis W. Doll sold 4,067 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.05, for a total value of $244,223.35. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 52,112 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,129,325.60. This represents a 7.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.32% of the company's stock.

Middlesex Water Stock Up 3.5%

MSEX stock traded up $1.93 during trading on Thursday, reaching $57.10. 91,763 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 131,794. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. Middlesex Water has a twelve month low of $48.18 and a twelve month high of $70.73. The firm has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.88. The firm's 50 day moving average is $61.61 and its 200 day moving average is $58.47.

Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.02). Middlesex Water had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 22.53%. The firm had revenue of $44.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $43.79 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Middlesex Water will post 2.34 EPS for the current year.

Middlesex Water Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Middlesex Water's payout ratio is 56.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MSEX shares. StockNews.com upgraded Middlesex Water from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded Middlesex Water from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $66.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday. Robert W. Baird raised Middlesex Water from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $61.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of Middlesex Water from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.00.

Middlesex Water Profile

Middlesex Water Company owns and operates regulated water utility and wastewater systems. It operates in Regulated and Non-Regulated segments. The Regulated segment collects, treats, and distributes water on a retail and wholesale basis to residential, commercial, industrial, and fire protection customers, as well as provides regulated wastewater systems in New Jersey and Delaware.