MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Sets New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $21.38 and last traded at $21.31, with a volume of 2535403 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $21.10.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen began coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $20.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of MDU Resources Group to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Cowen initiated coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Zacks Research cut shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $4.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $18.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.31.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.02. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 8.29% and a net margin of 8.25%.The company had revenue of $315.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $263.93 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. MDU Resources Group’s revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.900-0.950 EPS. On average, analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 11th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This is a positive change from MDU Resources Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 11th. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is currently 67.47%.

Insider Activity

In other MDU Resources Group news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $16.07 per share, for a total transaction of $80,350.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 344,548 shares in the company, valued at $5,536,886.36. The trade was a 1.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MDU Resources Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MDU. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 25.6% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 82,860 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,401,000 after buying an additional 16,913 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 182.0% in the first quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 143,467 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,426,000 after purchasing an additional 92,587 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its stake in MDU Resources Group by 4.5% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 41,080 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $695,000 after purchasing an additional 1,779 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management grew its stake in MDU Resources Group by 1.3% in the first quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 75,678 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,289,000 after purchasing an additional 965 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 217.5% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 480,353 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,123,000 after purchasing an additional 329,064 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About MDU Resources Group

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.