MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Downgraded by StockNews.com to "Sell"

StockNews.com downgraded shares of MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Friday.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on MDU. Siebert Williams Shank raised MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America raised MDU Resources Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

NYSE MDU traded up $0.50 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $16.96. 1,589,665 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,095,198. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $18.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.41. MDU Resources Group has a 1 year low of $14.91 and a 1 year high of $30.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company has a market cap of $3.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.80.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, analysts predict that MDU Resources Group will post 0.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 12th were issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.07%. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. This represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MDU Resources Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hennessy Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% in the 4th quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $38,833,000 after buying an additional 1,975,200 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 109.3% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 988,008 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $17,804,000 after buying an additional 515,878 shares during the period. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 40.9% in the 4th quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,334,820 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $24,053,000 after buying an additional 387,173 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 18.6% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,114,019 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $37,926,000 after purchasing an additional 331,481 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 18.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,110,595 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $38,033,000 after purchasing an additional 324,757 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.