Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Middlesex Water passed above its 200‑day moving average of $53.19, trading as high as $53.94 and last at $53.80 on volume of 120,757 shares—a short-term technical bullish signal.
• Analysts give the stock an average rating of Moderate Buy (two Buys, one Hold) with an average target of $59; the company has a market cap of about $996 million and a P/E of 22.8.
• The firm slightly missed quarterly EPS ($0.46 vs. $0.49 estimate) but pays a $0.36 quarterly dividend (2.7% yield); a director disclosed an insider purchase of 2,000 shares and institutional investors own roughly 79.5% of the stock.

Middlesex Water Company (NASDAQ:MSEX - Get Free Report)'s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-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 traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Middlesex Water Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.19. The stock has a market cap of $996.38 million, a P/E ratio of 22.80, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.45.

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

Middlesex Water Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Middlesex Water

In other Middlesex Water news, Director Robert N. Hoglund purchased 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $54.31 per share, with a total value of $108,620.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 2,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $108,620. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in Middlesex Water by 531.0% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 6,077 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 5,114 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 1,148 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew 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 acquiring an additional 66,174 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Middlesex Water by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 307,594 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $15,509,000 after acquiring an additional 17,261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zimmer Partners LP increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 29,100 shares during the last quarter. 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.

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