MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Sell”

StockNews.com lowered shares of MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report report published on Thursday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 0.9 %

MDU stock opened at $16.71 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $17.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.92. MDU Resources Group has a 12 month low of $14.91 and a 12 month high of $30.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.80.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is presently 37.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 238.1% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,935 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 2,067 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in MDU Resources Group by 2.5% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 66,691 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,828,000 after acquiring an additional 1,628 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust grew its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 10,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 890 shares during the period. Riverwater Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,348,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,234,000. 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.