MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.00.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Cowen began coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of MDU Resources Group to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “hold” rating and a $20.00 target price for the company. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MDU Resources Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MDU. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 22,414 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $408,000 after acquiring an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in MDU Resources Group by 5.3% during the third quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,098 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $198,000 after purchasing an additional 560 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in MDU Resources Group by 3.8% during the second quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 15,809 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 0.9% in the second quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 71,651 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,194,000 after purchasing an additional 606 shares during the period. Finally, Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 2.4% in the second quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 27,490 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $458,000 after buying an additional 650 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:MDU opened at $19.70 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.73, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. MDU Resources Group has a 12 month low of $15.04 and a 12 month high of $21.49. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.00.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.02. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 6.81% and a net margin of 9.02%.During the same period last year, the business posted $0.32 earnings per share. MDU Resources Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.900-0.950 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 11th will be given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 11th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.47%.

About MDU Resources Group

MDU Resources Group, Inc is a diversified energy and services holding company headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota. The company operates through two primary segments: Utilities and Construction Services and Pipelines & Midstream. Serving a broad geographic footprint across the upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest, MDU provides essential energy distribution and infrastructure services to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

The Utilities segment delivers electric and natural gas distribution services in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas, Wisconsin, Michigan and Washington.