Siebert Williams Shank Upgrades MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) to "Buy"

Siebert Williams Shank upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has $19.00 target price on the utilities provider's stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $31.00 target price (up previously from $30.00) on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Monday, October 21st.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of MDU Resources Group stock traded up $0.33 during trading on Monday, reaching $15.43. The stock had a trading volume of 6,734,688 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,527,223. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $3.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $27.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.82. MDU Resources Group has a 52 week low of $14.91 and a 52 week high of $30.52.

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

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MDU Resources Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 40.9% in the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 6,048,344 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $151,813,000 after purchasing an additional 1,756,530 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 30.7% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,158,224 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $104,371,000 after buying an additional 977,487 shares in the last quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the second quarter valued at about $24,372,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 8.1% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,491,990 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $188,049,000 after acquiring an additional 563,424 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 36.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,745,980 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $43,824,000 after acquiring an additional 467,465 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% 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.