MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Receives $21.00 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $21.00.

Several analysts have weighed in on MDU shares. Cowen began coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of MDU Resources Group to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $20.00 price target for the company.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

NYSE MDU opened at $19.87 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $4.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The company’s 50 day moving average is $20.04 and its 200-day moving average is $18.09. MDU Resources Group has a 12-month low of $15.04 and a 12-month high of $21.49.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.02. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 6.81% and a net margin of 9.02%.During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.32 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue 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. Sell-side analysts predict that MDU Resources Group will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 11th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 11th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is 67.47%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MDU Resources Group

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MDU. Comerica Bank increased its stake in MDU Resources Group by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 111,500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,885,000 after purchasing an additional 1,132 shares during the period. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. increased its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 25.0% in the first quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 34,408 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $582,000 after buying an additional 6,878 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP increased its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 19.1% in the first quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 290,455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,912,000 after buying an additional 46,612 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the 1st quarter valued at $204,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the 1st quarter valued at $138,000. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About MDU Resources Group

MDU Resources Group, Inc is a diversified energy and services holding company headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota. The company operates through two primary segments: Utilities and Construction Services and Pipelines & Midstream. Serving a broad geographic footprint across the upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest, MDU provides essential energy distribution and infrastructure services to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

The Utilities segment delivers electric and natural gas distribution services in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas, Wisconsin, Michigan and Washington.