MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.02 EPS

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.02, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $315.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $263.93 million. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 8.25% and a return on equity of 8.29%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.32 earnings per share. MDU Resources Group updated its FY 2025 guidance to 0.900-0.950 EPS.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 1.3%

MDU traded up $0.28 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $20.90. 4,706,715 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,897,387. The stock has a market cap of $4.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.72, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.73. MDU Resources Group has a 1-year low of $15.04 and a 1-year high of $20.96. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $18.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, September 11th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 11th. This is a positive change from MDU Resources Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MDU has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on MDU Resources Group to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Cowen initiated coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Weiss Ratings raised MDU Resources Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research cut MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.00.

Insider Transactions at MDU Resources Group

In other news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $16.07 per share, for a total transaction of $80,350.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 344,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,536,886.36. The trade was a 1.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.94% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of MDU Resources Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 94.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,647 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 56.4% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,508 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 904 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 356.8% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,170 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 2,476 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Finally, Boothbay Fund Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 6.5% in the second quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 12,235 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 742 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.