Stifel Financial Corp Raises Stock Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Stifel Financial Corp boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 1.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 85,306 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,353 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $2,338,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MDU. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 158.9% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group during the third quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 23.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,142 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 413 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 5.0 %

Shares of MDU stock opened at $17.62 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.37. The stock has a market cap of $3.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.79. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $14.91 and a 12 month high of $30.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $969.17 million. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 11.24%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.29 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MDU. Siebert Williams Shank raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com began coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th.

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.