MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Now Covered by StockNews.com

Equities researchers at StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) in a note issued to investors on Friday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Siebert Williams Shank raised MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU stock opened at $18.16 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.31, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.81. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $19.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $23.82.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $969.17 million. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 11.24%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.29 EPS. Analysts expect that MDU Resources Group will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of MDU Resources Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 158.9% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the third quarter worth $40,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in MDU Resources Group by 23.9% in the second 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 during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 238.1% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,935 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 2,067 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MDU Resources Group Company Profile

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.