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

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

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

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MDU opened at $16.57 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $18.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15. MDU Resources Group has a 1-year low of $14.91 and a 1-year high of $30.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.80.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 11.24%. Equities analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group will post 1.09 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 12th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.14%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.67%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp increased its stake in MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,344,185 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $174,713,000 after buying an additional 114,719 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,719,543 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $101,978,000 after acquiring an additional 65,433 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,179,357 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,272,000 after acquiring an additional 96,889 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% during the fourth quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $38,833,000 after purchasing an additional 1,975,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,114,019 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $37,926,000 after purchasing an additional 331,481 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.