MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Announces $0.13 Quarterly Dividend

MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 13th,RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a dividend of 0.13 per share by the utilities provider on Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th.

MDU Resources Group has decreased its dividend by an average of 15.8% per year over the last three years. MDU Resources Group has a payout ratio of 51.0% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect MDU Resources Group to earn $1.12 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.52 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 46.4%.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $16.78. 1,497,005 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,091,385. MDU Resources Group has a twelve month low of $14.91 and a twelve month high of $30.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company has a market cap of $3.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.16, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.80. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $17.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.12.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that MDU Resources Group will post 0.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MDU has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $18.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America upgraded MDU Resources Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded 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, November 4th. Finally, StockNews.com cut MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $21.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

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.