MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.13

MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 13th,RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of 0.13 per share by the utilities provider on Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.08%.

MDU Resources Group has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 15.8% per year over the last three years. MDU Resources Group has a payout ratio of 50.5% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect MDU Resources Group to earn $1.12 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.52 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 46.4%.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:MDU opened at $16.90 on Friday. MDU Resources Group has a 1 year low of $14.91 and a 1 year high of $30.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.80. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $18.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.30.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its earnings results 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, equities research analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group will post 0.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 180,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,997,962.24. This represents a 19.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MDU. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America raised MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Siebert Williams Shank raised MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

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.