MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Monday, July 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $27.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, MDU Resources Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $23.75.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

NYSE MDU opened at $19.26 on Friday. MDU Resources Group has a one year low of $18.14 and a one year high of $22.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $19.06 and a 200 day moving average of $20.53. The company has a market capitalization of $3.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.71, a PEG ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.99.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.10 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $347.75 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $346.63 million. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 6.89%. MDU Resources Group’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.09 EPS. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.930-1.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group will post 0.98 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 10th were paid a dividend of $0.1450 per share. This represents a $0.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 10th. This is a positive change from MDU Resources Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.37%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MDU Resources Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MDU. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 315.6% in the third quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,683 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,278 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 40.4% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,101 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 605 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP bought a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 2nd quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Fulcrum Asset Management LLP bought a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter worth $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Company Profile

MDU Resources Group is an energy delivery company that provides regulated electric and natural gas service and operates natural gas transmission infrastructure. Its utility businesses serve residential, commercial, industrial and other customers across parts of the northwestern and north-central United States.

The company’s service area includes Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Minnesota. Its natural gas pipeline operations transport and store gas, supporting the delivery of energy to customers and communities.

Founded in 1924, MDU Resources has evolved from a regional utility into a multi-state energy company.