XTX Topco Ltd Buys Shares of 12,364 Middlesex Water Company (NASDAQ:MSEX)

XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Middlesex Water Company (NASDAQ:MSEX - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 12,364 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $793,000. XTX Topco Ltd owned approximately 0.07% of Middlesex Water as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Middlesex Water in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $522,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Middlesex Water by 62.9% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 29,538 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,555,000 after buying an additional 11,402 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC increased its position in Middlesex Water by 19.6% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 26,921 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,417,000 after purchasing an additional 4,415 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Middlesex Water by 187.2% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 92,560 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,871,000 after acquiring an additional 60,337 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in Middlesex Water by 31.2% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 5,009 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 1,192 shares during the period. 79.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Middlesex Water Stock Performance

MSEX traded up $1.15 during trading on Thursday, reaching $52.87. 53,884 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 148,113. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $54.97 and a 200 day moving average of $56.75. The stock has a market cap of $952.47 million, a P/E ratio of 21.84, a PEG ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Middlesex Water Company has a 52 week low of $48.18 and a 52 week high of $70.73.

Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $49.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $52.60 million. Middlesex Water had a net margin of 22.15% and a return on equity of 9.67%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Middlesex Water Company will post 2.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Middlesex Water Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Middlesex Water's payout ratio is currently 56.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSEX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Middlesex Water from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded Middlesex Water from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $66.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, May 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Middlesex Water has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $61.00.

About Middlesex Water

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.