MIDDLESEX WATER CO (MSEX)

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Middlesex Water Company (Middlesex or the Company) included elsewhere herein and with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this periodic report and in the documents incorporated by reference constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933. Some of these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “projects,” “strategy,” or “anticipates,” or the negative of those words or other comparable terminology. The Company intends that these statements be covered by the safe harbors created under those laws. They include, but are not limited to statements as to:

-expected financial condition, performance, prospects and earnings of the Company;

-strategic plans for growth;

-the amount and timing of rate increases and other regulatory matters, including the recovery of certain costs recorded as regulatory assets;

-the Company’s expected liquidity needs during the upcoming fiscal year and beyond and the sources and availability of funds to meet its liquidity needs;

-expected customer rates, consumption volumes, service fees, revenues, margins, expenses and operating results;

-financial projections;

-the expected amount of cash contributions to fund the Company’s retirement benefit plans, anticipated discount rates and rates of return on plan assets;

-the ability of the Company to pay dividends;

-the Company’s compliance with environmental laws and regulations and estimations of the materiality of any related costs;

-changes in federal and state regulations;

-the safety and reliability of the Company’s equipment, facilities and operations;

-the Company’s plans to renew municipal franchises and consents in the territories it serves;

-trends; and

-the availability and quality of our water supply.

These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results and outcomes include, but are not limited to:

-effects of general economic conditions;

-increases in competition for growth in non-franchised markets;

-ability of the Company to adequately control selected operating expenses which are necessary to maintain safe and proper utility services, and which may be beyond the Company’s control;

-availability of adequate supplies of quality water;

-actions taken by government regulators, including decisions on rate increase requests;

-new or modified water quality standards and compliance with related legal and regulatory requirements;

-weather variations, including climate variability, and other natural phenomena impacting utility operations;

-financial and operating risks associated with acquisitions and/or privatizations;

-acts of war or terrorism;

-cyber-attacks;

-changes in the pace of real estate development;

-availability and cost of capital resources;

-timely availability of materials and supplies for operations and for critical infrastructure projects;

-effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting; and

-other factors discussed elsewhere in this report.

Many of these factors are beyond the Company’s ability to control or predict. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which only speak to the Company’s understanding as of the date of this report. The Company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any

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revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this report or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

For an additional discussion of factors that may affect the Company’s business and results of operations, see Item 1A. - Risk Factors in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.

Overview

Middlesex Water Company (Middlesex or the Company) has operated as a water utility in New Jersey since 1897 and in Delaware through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Tidewater Utilities, Inc. (Tidewater), since 1992. We are in the business of providing an essential water utility service for domestic, commercial, municipal, industrial and fire protection purposes. We operate water and wastewater systems under contract for governmental entities and private entities primarily in New Jersey and Delaware and provide regulated wastewater services in New Jersey. We are regulated by state public utility commissions as to rates charged to customers for water and wastewater services, as to the quality of water and wastewater service we provide and as to certain other matters in the states in which our regulated subsidiaries operate. Only our Utility Service Affiliates, Inc. (USA), Utility Service Affiliates (Perth Amboy), Inc. (USA-PA) and White Marsh Environmental Services, Inc. (White Marsh) subsidiaries are not regulated public utilities as related to rates and services quality. All municipal or commercial entities whose utility operations are managed by these entities, however, are subject to environmental regulation at the federal and state levels.

Our principal New Jersey water utility system, Middlesex, provides water services to approximately 61,000 retail customers in central New Jersey, and also provides water sales under contract to municipalities in central New Jersey with a total population of over 0.2 million. Prior to April 1, 2026, Pinelands Water Company (Pinelands Water) and Pinelands Wastewater Company (Pinelands Wastewater) (collectively, Pinelands) provided water and wastewater services to approximately 2,500 customers in Southampton Township, New Jersey. Effective April 1, 2026, Pinelands was merged into Middlesex and those customers are now served by Middlesex (Middlesex and the Pinelands are collectively referred to as the "Middlesex System").

Our Delaware subsidiaries, Tidewater and Southern Shores Water Company, LLC, provide water services to approximately 66,000 retail customers in New Castle, Kent and Sussex Counties, Delaware. Tidewater’s subsidiary, White Marsh, serves approximately 3,700 households in Kent and Sussex Counties through various operations and maintenance contracts.

USA-PA operates the water and wastewater systems for the City of Perth Amboy, New Jersey (Perth Amboy) under a 10-year operations and maintenance contract expiring in 2028. In addition to performing day-to-day operations, USA-PA is also responsible for emergency response and management of capital projects funded by Perth Amboy.

USA operates the Borough of Avalon, New Jersey’s (Avalon) water utility, sewer utility and storm water system under a ten-year operations and maintenance contract expiring in 2032. USA also operates the Borough of Highland Park, New Jersey’s (Highland Park) water and wastewater systems under a 10-year operations and maintenance contract expiring in 2030. In addition to performing day-to-day service operations, USA is responsible for emergency response and management of capital projects funded by Avalon and Highland Park.

Under a marketing agreement with HomeServe USA Corp. (HomeServe) expiring in 2031, USA offers residential customers in New Jersey and Delaware water and wastewater related services and home maintenance programs. HomeServe is a leading national provider of such home maintenance service programs. USA receives a service fee for the billing, cash collection and other administrative matters associated with HomeServe’s service contracts. USA also provides unregulated water and wastewater services under contract with several New Jersey municipalities.

Recent Developments

Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Multi-District Litigation Settlement - Multiple Company utility subsidiaries are parties to a multi-district litigation (MDL) lawsuit against manufacturers of certain PFAS for damages, contribution and reimbursement of costs incurred and continuing to be incurred to address the presence of such PFAS in public water supply systems owned and operated by these utility subsidiaries and throughout their service areas. Settlements with several defendants in the MDL have received final approval by the MDL court. The Company timely submitted to the MDL court its Phase One claim forms under settlement agreements with defendants 3M Company, DuPont de Nemours, Inc., Tyco Fire Products LP and BASF Corporation.

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The settlement payments received by the Company will ultimately be refunded to customers. Through June 30, 2026, the Company received $8.1 million and anticipates receiving additional settlement payments during the remainder of 2026 from the defendants named above.

Rates and Regulatory Matters

Middlesex - In February 2026, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) approved:

•$14.5 million of base rate increases for Middlesex and Pinelands, effective February 23, 2026;

•A Resiliency and Environmental System Improvement Charge (RESIC) Foundational Filing, which allows for the recovery of certain costs of future Middlesex and Pinelands investments related to compliance with requirements to address existing and emerging chemical elements or compounds, installation of new plant or equipment or replacement of existing plant or equipment to further maintain, enhance, or improve resiliency, health, safety or environmental protection; and

•A Distribution System Improvement Charge (DSIC) Foundational Filing, which allows for the recovery of future Middlesex and Pinelands Water investments in qualifying capital improvements to their water distribution system.

In January 2026, the NJBPU approved the merger of Pinelands into Middlesex through a corporate reorganization, which was completed April 1, 2026.

Tidewater - In June 2026, the Delaware Public Service Commission (DEPSC) approved Tidewater’s DSIC rate, effective July 1, 2026. Tidewater is expected to recover approximately $0.6 million of semi-annual revenues from July 2026 to December 2026.

In January 2026, Tidewater completed the acquisition of the water utility assets of Pinewood Acres, LLC, as authorized by the DEPSC.

See Note 2, Rates and Regulatory Matters for more details about our rates and regulatory activity in Delaware and New Jersey.

United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Issues PFAS Regulations - In April 2024, the USEPA finalized drinking water regulations for PFAS, establishing maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for three PFAS compounds (Regulated PFAS) that are lower than the current New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection MCLs adhered to by the Company. Under the new USEPA regulations, effective April 2024, water systems must monitor for Regulated PFAS and have three years to complete initial monitoring (by April 2027), followed by ongoing compliance monitoring. Water systems must also provide the public with information on the levels of Regulated PFAS in their drinking water beginning in 2027. Water systems have five years (by April 2029) to implement solutions that reduce Regulated PFAS if monitoring shows that drinking water levels exceed these MCLs. The USEPA has announced its plans to issue a proposed rule allowing utilities to extend the compliance date to 2031.

Beginning in April 2029 and absent a

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

Cash flows from operating activities are largely influenced by four factors: weather, adequate and timely rate increases, effective cost management and customer growth. The effect of those factors on net income is discussed in the Results of Operations section above.

For the year ended December 31, 2025, cash flows from operating activities increased $3.9 million to $62.6 million. The increase in cash flows from operating activities primarily resulted from the impact of Middlesex’s approved base rate increase effective March 1, 2024, Tidewater's base rate increase effective July 3, 2025, Middlesex's increased DSIC, decreased unbilled revenues and lower federal income tax payments.

Increases in certain operating costs impact our liquidity and capital resources. We continually monitor the need for timely rate case filings to minimize the lag between the time we experience increased operating costs and capital expenditures and the time we receive appropriate rate relief.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

For the year ended December 31, 2025, cash flows used in investing activities increased $26.3 million to $101.0 million due to increased utility plant expenditures in 2025 and Tidewater’s acquisition of the water utility assets of Ocean View.

For further discussion on the Company’s future capital expenditures and expected funding sources, see “Capital Expenditures and Commitments” section below.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

For the year ended December 31, 2025, cash flows from financing activities increased $20.9 million to $38.6 million. The increase in cash flows provided by financing activities is due to higher long-term debt and short-term borrowings, and higher proceeds from the issuance of common stock under Middlesex’s At-the-Market (ATM) equity offering program, partially offset by proceeds received from a litigation settlement in 2024.

For further discussion on the Company’s long-term debt, short-term borrowings and common stock, see “Sources of Liquidity” section below.

Capital Expenditures and Commitments

To fund our capital program, we use internally generated funds, short-term and long-term debt borrowings, proceeds from sales of common stock under the Middlesex Water Company Investment Plan (Investment Plan) and ATM equity offering program, and, when market conditions are favorable, proceeds from sales to the public of our common stock.

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The table below summarizes our estimated capital expenditures for the years 2026-2028.

Our estimated capital expenditures for the items listed above are primarily comprised of the following:

•Distribution/Network System - Includes projects associated with replacement, installation and relocation of water mains and service lines and wastewater collection systems, construction of water storage tanks, installation and replacement of hydrants, meters and meter pits and the RENEW Program. RENEW is our ongoing initiative to replace water mains in the Middlesex System. In connection with RENEW, we expect to spend approximately $12 million each year from 2026 to 2028. Also, we plan to replace a transmission main in Metuchen, New Jersey in our Middlesex System for approximately $8 million in 2027 and 2028. In addition, we expect to invest $2 million in Tidewater distribution system improvements in 2026. Also, we expect to invest $3 million and $9 million in 2027 and 2028, respectively, for elevated storage tanks in our Tidewater System.

•Production System - Includes projects associated with our treatment plants, including approximately $36 million, $119 million and $100 million of expenditures in 2026, 2027 and 2028, respectively to install PFAS treatment at our CJO Plant.

•Information Technology (IT) Systems - Includes additional upgrades of our enterprise resource planning system and hardware and software purchases for other IT systems.

•Other - Includes purchase of transportation equipment, tools, furniture, laboratory equipment, security systems and other general infrastructure needs including improvements to field and inventory management facilities.

The actual amount and timing of capital expenditures is dependent on the need for replacement of existing infrastructure, customer growth, residential new home construction and sales, project scheduling and continued refinement of project scope and costs.

To fund our capital program in 2026, we estimate we will utilize some or all of the following:

•Internally generated funds;

•Short-term borrowings, as needed, through $148 million of available lines of credit with several financial institutions. (see discussion under “Sources of Liquidity-Short-term Borrowings” below);

•Proceeds from the Delaware State Revolving Fund (SRF) Program. SRF programs provide lower cost financing for projects meeting certain water quality and system improvement benchmarks (see discussion under “Sources of Liquidity-Long-term Debt” below);

•Proceeds from other long-term borrowings (see discussion under “Sources of Liquidity-Long-term Debt” below); and

•Proceeds from common stock sales through the ATM equity offering program and Investment Plan and proceeds from sales to the public of our common stock when market conditions are favorable (see discussion under “Sources of Liquidity-Common Stock” below).

Sources of Liquidity

Short-term Borrowings - In February 2026, the Company increased available lines of credit from $148 million to $180 million. The outstanding borrowings under the credit lines at December 31, 2025 were $28.3 million, at a weighted average interest rate of 5.03%.

The weighted average daily amounts of borrowings outstanding under the credit lines and the weighted average interest rates on those amounts were $42.1 million and $38.7 million at 5.42% and 6.33% for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Long-term Debt - Subject to regulatory approval, the Company periodically issues long-term debt to fund investments in utility plant. To the extent possible and fiscally prudent, the Company finances qualifying capital projects under SRF loan programs in New Jersey and Delaware. These government programs provide financing at interest rates typically below rates available in the broader financial markets.

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The Company intends to issue debt securities in a series of transaction offerings over a multi-year period to fund the multi-year capital construction program.

In September 2025, the NJBPU authorized Middlesex to borrow up to $260.0 million during the period January 2026 through December 2028, in one or more negotiated transactions in the form of notes and/or first mortgage bonds through loans from the New Jersey SRF Program, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, private placement and other financial institutions as needed. Middlesex was previously authorized to borrow up to $300.0 million for the period beginning in April 2023 through December 2025.

In October 2025, Middlesex closed on a $30.0 million, 5.99% private placement of First Mortgage Bonds (FMBs) due 2055, designated as Series 2025A. The net proceeds from the sale were used to repay short-term borrowings under the Company’s bank lines of credit and for other general corporate purposes.

In September 2024, Tidewater closed on a $2.2 million Delaware SRF loan with a 0.0% interest rate with an expected maturity date in 2044. This loan is for costs associated with Tidewater’s obligation, as required by federal law and Delaware regulations, to identify and inventory lead service lines throughout Tidewater’s service area. Tidewater has drawn down $1.8 million as of December 31, 2025.

In May 2024, Tidewater closed on four DEPSC-approved Delaware SRF loans totaling $5.6 million, all at interest rates of 2.0% with maturity dates in 2045. These loans are for the construction, relocation, improvement, and/or interconnection of transmission mains and construction of a water treatment facility. In December 2025, Tidewater closed on an additional $1.0 million, 2.0% SRF loan with a maturity date of 2045 related to these projects. Tidewater has drawn down $0.9 million on these loans as of December 31, 2025. Each project has its own construction timetable with the last spending set to occur in 2027.

Separately, Tidewater has two active construction projects funded by Delaware SRF loans totaling $8.3 million with remaining availability of funds for borrowing. These loans are for the construction of a one-million gallon elevated storage tank and construction, relocation, improvement, and interconnection of transmission mains. Tidewater has drawn a total of $7.1 million through December 31, 2025 and expects that the requisitions will continue through the first quarter of 2026.

In December 2025, Southern Shores closed on a $0.4 million Delaware SRF loan with a 0.0% interest rate with a maturity date in 2045. This loan is for costs associated with Southern Shore’s obligation, as required by federal law and Delaware regulations, to identify and inventory lead service lines in its service area.

In February 2026, Pinelands Water and Pinelands Wastewater repaid in full $3.7 million and $3.4 million, respectively, of their amortizing secured notes. The interest rates and due dates on both of these notes were 6.17% and 2043, respectively.

Substantially all of the utility plant of the Company is subject to the lien of its mortgage, which includes debt service and capital ratio covenants. As of December 31, 2025, the Company is in compliance with all of its mortgage covenants.

Common Stock - The Company issues shares of its common stock in connection with the Investment Plan, a direct share purchase and dividend reinvestment plan for the Company’s common stock. The Company raised approximately $0.9 million through the issuance of shares under the Investment Plan during 2025.

In September 2025, the NJBPU authorized Middlesex to issue and sell up to 2.5 million shares of its common stock, without par value, during the period January 2026 through December 2028, through one or more traditional underwriting offerings and/or ATM offerings. Middlesex's was previously authorized to issue and sell up to 1.0 million shares of its common stock, without par value for the period beginning in April 2023 through December 2025.

In May 2025, Middlesex entered into an ATM Equity Offering Sales Agreement (Equity Sales Agreement) with BofA Securities, Inc., Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, and Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, pursuant to which Middlesex may offer and sell shares of its common stock, no par value per share, from time to time in “at-the-market” offerings, having an aggregate gross sales price of up to $110.0 million. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from these sales, after deducting commissions and offering expenses, to fund our capital expenditures, to purchase and maintain plant equipment, as well as for other general corporate purposes. In 2025, Middlesex issued and sold a total of 560,000 shares of common stock, at a weighted average price of $53.54 per share, and received $29.5 million in net proceeds, under the Equity Sales Agreement. As of December 31, 2025, the Company has $80.0 million of aggregate gross sales remaining under the Equity Sales Agreement.

In order to fully fund the ongoing capital investment program and maintain a balanced capital structure required for a regula

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