Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.03 EPS

Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.49 by ($0.03), FiscalAI reports. Middlesex Water had a return on equity of 9.38% and a net margin of 22.08%.The firm had revenue of $46.98 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $46.91 million.

Middlesex Water Trading Up 0.7%

NASDAQ MSEX opened at $54.47 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $53.29. Middlesex Water has a 12 month low of $44.17 and a 12 month high of $67.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $998.98 million, a P/E ratio of 22.79, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.89.

Middlesex Water Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. Middlesex Water’s payout ratio is currently 60.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSEX has been the subject of several research reports. New Street Research set a $52.00 price target on Middlesex Water in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Middlesex Water in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Middlesex Water from $73.00 to $63.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.33.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MSEX. Mariner LLC grew its holdings in Middlesex Water by 122.4% in the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 8,785 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $475,000 after purchasing an additional 4,835 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Middlesex Water by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $469,000 after acquiring an additional 716 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Middlesex Water by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 9,243 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $466,000 after buying an additional 873 shares during the period. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in Middlesex Water by 74.1% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 8,349 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $452,000 after acquiring an additional 3,554 shares during the period. Finally, Odyssean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Middlesex Water in the fourth quarter worth approximately $442,000. Hedge funds and other 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.