MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm issued a hold rating and a $18.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Friday, January 3rd. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America raised MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MDU opened at $18.04 on Wednesday. MDU Resources Group has a twelve month low of $14.91 and a twelve month high of $30.52. The firm has a market cap of $3.68 billion, a PE ratio of 9.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15. The business has a fifty day moving average of $18.69 and a 200-day moving average of $23.66.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 11.24% and a net margin of 8.92%. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $969.17 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.29 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that MDU Resources Group will post 1.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.88%. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is currently 26.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MDU Resources Group

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 23.9% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,142 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 413 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 32,739 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $896,000 after buying an additional 641 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 158.9% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 734 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 24,264 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $609,000 after buying an additional 817 shares during the period. Finally, Ingalls & Snyder LLC grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC now owns 39,335 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,078,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.