Jane Street Group LLC Purchases 80,779 Shares of Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX)

Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX - Free Report) by 751.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 91,530 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 80,779 shares during the quarter. Jane Street Group LLC owned about 0.51% of Middlesex Water worth $4,817,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MSEX. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Middlesex Water by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 19,863 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,045,000 after buying an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in shares of Middlesex Water by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 7,474 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $393,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Middlesex Water by 771.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 497 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its position in shares of Middlesex Water by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 20,614 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,081,000 after acquiring an additional 443 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Middlesex Water by 1,006.4% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 520 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the period. 79.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Middlesex Water Price Performance

Shares of MSEX stock traded up $0.86 on Friday, reaching $57.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 19,608 shares, compared to its average volume of 131,486. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $61.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.42. The company has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.20, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.88. Middlesex Water has a 12-month low of $48.18 and a 12-month high of $70.73.

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

Middlesex Water Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Middlesex Water's payout ratio is currently 56.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Middlesex Water

In other Middlesex Water news, Director Dennis W. Doll sold 4,067 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.05, for a total transaction of $244,223.35. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 52,112 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,129,325.60. The trade was a 7.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.32% of the company's stock.

Middlesex Water Company 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.