MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on MDU. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 0.3 %

MDU Resources Group stock opened at $16.84 on Thursday. MDU Resources Group has a fifty-two week low of $14.91 and a fifty-two week high of $30.52. The stock has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a PE ratio of 12.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.80. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $17.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. Research analysts predict that MDU Resources Group will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.59% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MDU Resources Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MDU. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 132.0% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,999,856 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $126,137,000 after acquiring an additional 3,982,783 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,997,452 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $414,414,000 after acquiring an additional 3,276,114 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,857,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% during the 4th quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $38,833,000 after acquiring an additional 1,975,200 shares during the period. Finally, Pertento Partners LLP increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 90.3% during the 4th quarter. Pertento Partners LLP now owns 2,990,144 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $53,882,000 after acquiring an additional 1,419,118 shares during the period. 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.