MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

Separately, Argus upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 20th.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of MDU Resources Group stock traded up $0.50 on Friday, hitting $27.18. 828,332 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,221,082. MDU Resources Group has a 52-week low of $18.04 and a 52-week high of $27.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market cap of $5.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.61, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.77. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $25.27 and its 200 day moving average is $23.44.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 11.42%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.23 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In related news, insider Rob L. Johnson purchased 36,291 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $25.46 per share, for a total transaction of $923,968.86. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 41,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,067,639.64. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MDU Resources Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MDU. TFO Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 16,070.0% in the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,617 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 1,607 shares in the last quarter. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 22.2% in the 1st quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 4,404 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $111,000 after buying an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 32.9% in the 1st quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 5,920 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $149,000 after buying an additional 1,465 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 129.3% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 8,977 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $178,000 after buying an additional 5,062 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.