MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Raised to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Monday.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

Shares of MDU opened at $16.75 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $3.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.14, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $16.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07. MDU Resources Group has a 12 month low of $13.23 and a 12 month high of $20.39.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.04. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. The firm had revenue of $674.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $653.13 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 12th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is 40.31%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 179.0% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,518 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 164.4% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 241.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,304 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 99.6% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

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.