Squarepoint Ops LLC Acquires 11,929 Shares of Middlesex Water Company $MSEX

Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in shares of Middlesex Water Company (NASDAQ:MSEX) by 77.2% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 27,380 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,929 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC’s holdings in Middlesex Water were worth $1,483,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Middlesex Water during the second quarter valued at $72,000. CWM LLC lifted its stake in Middlesex Water by 31.6% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,742 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Middlesex Water by 67.0% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $196,000 after acquiring an additional 1,453 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in shares of Middlesex Water by 32.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 4,298 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 1,052 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Middlesex Water in the second quarter worth approximately $244,000. Institutional investors own 79.52% of the company’s stock.

Middlesex Water Trading Down 3.4%

NASDAQ:MSEX opened at $51.70 on Friday. Middlesex Water Company has a one year low of $44.17 and a one year high of $67.09. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $53.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $54.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $948.18 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.86 by ($0.09). Middlesex Water had a return on equity of 9.38% and a net margin of 22.08%.The company had revenue of $54.09 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $56.08 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Middlesex Water Company will post 2.34 EPS for the current year.

Middlesex Water Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This is an increase from Middlesex Water’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. Middlesex Water’s payout ratio is presently 60.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSEX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. New Street Research set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Middlesex Water in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Middlesex Water from $73.00 to $63.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Middlesex Water in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Middlesex Water presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.33.

Middlesex Water Company Profile

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.