Barclays PLC Has $1.95 Million Position in Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX)

Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX - Free Report) by 349.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 29,919 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 23,262 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned about 0.17% of Middlesex Water worth $1,952,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its position in Middlesex Water by 2.3% during the second quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 9,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $470,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Middlesex Water by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 4,236 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $276,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its position in shares of Middlesex Water by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 9,462 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $494,000 after acquiring an additional 421 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in Middlesex Water by 2.4% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 24,685 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,290,000 after acquiring an additional 580 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its position in Middlesex Water by 9.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,018 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $458,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. 79.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MSEX. Bank of America started coverage on Middlesex Water in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $56.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Middlesex Water from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st.

Middlesex Water Price Performance

Shares of MSEX traded down $0.78 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $52.88. The stock had a trading volume of 128,973 shares, compared to its average volume of 135,557. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.65. Middlesex Water has a 12 month low of $45.42 and a 12 month high of $70.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $944.17 million, a PE ratio of 22.99, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.82. The company's 50-day moving average is $62.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.40.

Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $55.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $50.00 million. Middlesex Water had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 22.53%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.56 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Middlesex Water will post 2.34 EPS for the current year.

Middlesex Water Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.57%. This is a positive change from Middlesex Water's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Middlesex Water's payout ratio is presently 59.13%.

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.