MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Now Covered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) in a research note released on Tuesday. The firm issued a hold rating on the utilities provider's stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Siebert Williams Shank raised MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $31.00 price target (up previously from $30.00) on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Monday, October 21st.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 6.7 %

Shares of MDU Resources Group stock traded up $1.03 on Tuesday, hitting $16.46. The company had a trading volume of 6,867,668 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,552,177. 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 quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.22. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $26.64 and a 200-day moving average of $25.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.76.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 11.29% and a net margin of 9.25%. MDU Resources Group's revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.29 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 21st were given a dividend of $12.875 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is 26.00%.

Institutional Trading of MDU Resources Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MDU. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the third quarter valued at about $2,039,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 158.9% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 4.7% in the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 78,589 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,154,000 after acquiring an additional 3,535 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the third quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Hudson Value Partners LLC lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 3.5% in the third quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 212,815 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,833,000 after buying an additional 7,292 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's 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.