MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on MDU. Siebert Williams Shank raised MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 target price (up from $30.00) on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Monday, October 21st.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 0.4 %

MDU traded up $0.07 on Tuesday, reaching $17.58. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 465,529 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,574,398. The company has a market capitalization of $3.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.76. MDU Resources Group has a fifty-two week low of $14.91 and a fifty-two week high of $30.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $26.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.59.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 9.25% and a return on equity of 11.29%. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $969.17 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.29 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group will post 1.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 21st were given a dividend of $12.875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is 26.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 23.9% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,142 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. BOKF NA boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 4.1% during the first quarter. BOKF NA now owns 14,794 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $377,000 after buying an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC grew its position in MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 34,869 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $875,000 after buying an additional 606 shares during the period. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 0.4% in the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 176,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,451,000 after buying an additional 708 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 158.9% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.