MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) in a note issued to investors on Thursday. The brokerage set a “hold” rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

MDU has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 1.2 %

MDU opened at $18.25 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07. MDU Resources Group has a one year low of $14.91 and a one year high of $30.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $21.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.18.

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

Institutional Trading of MDU Resources Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MDU. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in MDU Resources Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted 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 during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 23.9% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,142 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 413 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is 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.