MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on MDU. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Wall Street Zen downgraded MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Cowen initiated coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised MDU Resources Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $18.67.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE MDU opened at $19.31 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.22, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.70. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $16.93 and its 200 day moving average is $16.86. MDU Resources Group has a 52 week low of $14.91 and a 52 week high of $30.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.74.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by ($0.06). MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 8.29% and a net margin of 8.25%.The firm had revenue of $351.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.67 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.880-0.950 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.07 per share, with a total value of $80,350.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 344,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,536,886.36. This trade represents a 1.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.94% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of MDU Resources Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,087,000. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,098,000. River Road Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the second quarter valued at $26,105,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 195.0% during the first quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,548,864 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,191,000 after purchasing an additional 1,023,864 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the first quarter worth $14,636,000. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by 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.