MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Short Interest Down 16.9% in January

MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,340,000 shares, a drop of 16.9% from the January 15th total of 5,220,000 shares. Approximately 2.2% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,070,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU stock traded down $0.05 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $16.84. 1,729,455 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,044,599. MDU Resources Group has a twelve month low of $14.91 and a twelve month high of $30.52. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $17.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.95. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $3.43 billion, a PE ratio of 12.20, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.80.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.09%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.68%.

Insider Transactions at MDU Resources Group

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.59% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MDU Resources Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 16.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,997,452 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $414,414,000 after purchasing an additional 3,276,114 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,186,994 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $147,530,000 after acquiring an additional 467,355 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 132.0% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,999,856 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $126,137,000 after acquiring an additional 3,982,783 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,344,185 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $174,713,000 after acquiring an additional 114,719 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,719,543 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $101,978,000 after purchasing an additional 65,433 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MDU shares. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "hold" rating and a $18.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, MDU Resources Group has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $21.00.

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.