MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Rating Lowered 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 research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. One investment 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, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Trading Down 2.2 %

Shares of MDU Resources Group stock traded down $0.36 on Friday, reaching $16.57. 2,391,604 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,147,328. The company has a market capitalization of $3.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $18.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.61. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 11.24% and a net margin of 8.92%. Sell-side analysts predict that MDU Resources Group will post 1.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MDU Resources Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in MDU Resources Group by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 38,903 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $701,000 after buying an additional 6,164 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its position in MDU Resources Group by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 43,362 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $781,000 after buying an additional 2,164 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in MDU Resources Group by 42.0% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 67,319 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,213,000 after buying an additional 19,895 shares during the last quarter. Amundi purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter valued at $2,798,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its position in MDU Resources Group by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 17,130 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $311,000 after buying an additional 2,019 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.