MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The stock traded as low as $15.89 and last traded at $15.89, with a volume of 170628 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $28.85.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MDU has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Monday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.00 price objective (up previously from $30.00) on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Monday, October 21st.

MDU Resources Group Trading Down 46.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.22. The company has a market capitalization of $3.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $27.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $25.85.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 9.25% and a return on equity of 11.29%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.29 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.57 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 12th were issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 12th. This is an increase from MDU Resources Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MDU Resources Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Hudson Value Partners LLC grew its position in MDU Resources Group by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 212,815 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,833,000 after acquiring an additional 7,292 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in MDU Resources Group in the third quarter valued at about $6,351,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 3.5% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 89,010 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,440,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 7.3% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 23,585 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $646,000 after purchasing an additional 1,605 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About MDU Resources Group

MDU Resources Group, Inc engages in the regulated energy delivery, and construction materials and services businesses in the United States. It operates through four segments: Electric, Natural Gas Distribution, Pipeline, and Construction Services. The Electric segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity for residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming; and operates 3,400 miles of transmission lines, 4,800 miles of distribution lines, and 82 transmission and 298 distribution substations.