Swiss National Bank Sells 4,400 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. $MDU

Swiss National Bank lessened its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 370,890 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,400 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.18% of MDU Resources Group worth $6,183,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,646,000. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 19.0% in the 2nd quarter. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 99,381 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,657,000 after acquiring an additional 15,900 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 157.0% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 212,933 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,550,000 after purchasing an additional 130,073 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in MDU Resources Group by 103.1% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,343,979 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $22,727,000 after purchasing an additional 682,098 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in MDU Resources Group by 230.6% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,660 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 5,343 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MDU opened at $21.32 on Monday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $15.04 and a 12-month high of $21.49. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $19.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.64. The firm has a market cap of $4.36 billion, a PE ratio of 20.11, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.02. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 8.29% and a net margin of 8.25%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.900-0.950 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 11th will be given a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 11th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 344,548 shares in the company, valued at $5,536,886.36. This trade represents a 1.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MDU. Cowen began coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of MDU Resources Group to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Company Profile

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.