MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) in a report published on Tuesday. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

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

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

NYSE:MDU traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $17.58. 465,529 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,574,398. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $26.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.59. MDU Resources Group has a 52-week low of $14.91 and a 52-week high of $30.52. The company has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. The firm 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 11.29% and a net margin of 9.25%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.29 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group will post 1.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 was Friday, November 1st. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 40.9% during the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 6,048,344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $151,813,000 after acquiring an additional 1,756,530 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 30.7% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,158,224 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $104,371,000 after purchasing an additional 977,487 shares during the period. Hood River Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $24,372,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 8.1% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,491,990 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $188,049,000 after purchasing an additional 563,424 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in MDU Resources Group by 36.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,745,980 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $43,824,000 after buying an additional 467,465 shares during the period. 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.