MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $20.49 and last traded at $20.4260, with a volume of 662543 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $19.69.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Weiss Ratings raised MDU Resources Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Cowen started coverage on 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. Zacks Research lowered MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on MDU Resources Group to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 3.0%

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market cap of $4.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.73.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.13 by ($0.04). MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 8.29% and a net margin of 8.25%.During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.900-0.950 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 11th were given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This is a boost from MDU Resources Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 11th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is 52.83%.

Insider Activity

In other MDU Resources Group news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.07 per share, for a total transaction of $80,350.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 344,548 shares in the company, valued at $5,536,886.36. The trade was a 1.47% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MDU Resources Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 94.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,647 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 241.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,304 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Country Trust Bank purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

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.