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

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

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

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE MDU opened at $18.33 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.74 billion, a PE ratio of 9.40, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.79. MDU Resources Group has a twelve month low of $14.91 and a twelve month high of $30.52. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.14.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its 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 company had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $969.17 million. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 11.24% and a net margin of 8.92%. MDU Resources Group’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.29 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is currently 26.67%.

Institutional Trading of MDU Resources Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted 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 buying an additional 413 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.