XTX Topco Ltd Makes New Investment in Middlesex Water Company (NASDAQ:MSEX)

XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in Middlesex Water Company (NASDAQ:MSEX - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 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 0.07% of Middlesex Water as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Middlesex Water by 771.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 497 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional acquired a new stake in Middlesex Water in the first quarter valued at $38,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Middlesex Water by 128.3% in the first quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 662 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Middlesex Water in the first quarter valued at $203,000. Finally, Crestwood Advisors Group LLC acquired a new stake in Middlesex Water in the first quarter valued at $208,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.52% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSEX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded shares of Middlesex Water from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $66.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Middlesex Water from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $61.00.

Middlesex Water Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MSEX traded down $1.25 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $51.93. 139,490 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 185,076. Middlesex Water Company has a one year low of $48.18 and a one year high of $70.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $935.78 million, a PE ratio of 21.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.81. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $55.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.41.

Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX - Get Free Report) last released 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 the consensus estimate of $52.60 million. Middlesex Water had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 22.15%. Analysts anticipate that Middlesex Water Company will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Middlesex Water Dividend Announcement

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

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.