MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01, Briefing.com reports. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 11.29% and a net margin of 9.25%. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $969.17 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.29 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

NYSE MDU traded up $0.42 on Friday, hitting $17.93. 2,768,031 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,959,744. The company has a market capitalization of $3.66 billion, a PE ratio of 9.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The business's fifty day moving average is $26.17 and its 200 day moving average is $25.56. MDU Resources Group has a 52 week low of $14.91 and a 52 week high of $30.52.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 21st were issued a $12.875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is presently 26.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MDU. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America upgraded 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 report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Tuesday. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock.

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.