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

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

MDU has been the subject of a number of other reports. Siebert Williams Shank raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of MDU stock opened at $16.64 on Thursday. MDU Resources Group has a 12 month low of $14.91 and a 12 month high of $30.52. The stock has a market cap of $3.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.80. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.86.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. On average, research analysts expect that MDU Resources Group will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.12%. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is 37.68%.

Insider Activity at MDU Resources Group

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was 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 owns 180,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MDU Resources Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in MDU Resources Group during the third quarter valued at $2,234,000. Foundry Partners LLC bought a new position in MDU Resources Group during the third quarter valued at $4,594,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter valued at $778,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 5.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,082,468 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $57,080,000 after purchasing an additional 101,955 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 21.3% during the fourth quarter. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 81,626 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,471,000 after purchasing an additional 14,360 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.