MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Sell”

StockNews.com cut shares of MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Thursday.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. Siebert Williams Shank raised 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 research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock 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 given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE MDU opened at $16.71 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.11, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.80. MDU Resources Group has a 52 week low of $14.91 and a 52 week high of $30.52. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $17.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.92. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.11%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 16.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,997,452 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $414,414,000 after buying an additional 3,276,114 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in MDU Resources Group by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,186,994 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $147,530,000 after buying an additional 467,355 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 132.0% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,999,856 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $126,137,000 after buying an additional 3,982,783 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,344,185 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $174,713,000 after buying an additional 114,719 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,719,543 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $101,978,000 after acquiring an additional 65,433 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.