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Has Middlesex Water (MSEX) Outpaced Other Utilities Stocks This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Utilities stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Middlesex Water (MSEX - Free Report) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? One simple way to answer this question is to take a look at the year-to-date performance of MSEX and the rest of the Utilities group's stocks.

Middlesex Water is a member of the Utilities sector. This group includes 125 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #9. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. MSEX is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MSEX's full-year earnings has moved 6.52% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

According to our latest data, MSEX has moved about 36.51% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Utilities sector has returned an average of 0.83% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Middlesex Water is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

To break things down more, MSEX belongs to the Utility - Water Supply industry, a group that includes 13 individual companies and currently sits at #158 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 2.12% so far this year, meaning that MSEX is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Going forward, investors interested in Utilities stocks should continue to pay close attention to MSEX as it looks to continue its solid performance.


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