MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $20.24, but opened at $19.59. MDU Resources Group shares last traded at $19.5250, with a volume of 2,084,310 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Cowen started coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Zacks Research lowered MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. TD Cowen started coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $20.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $3.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.52, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.75.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.02. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 6.81% and a net margin of 9.02%.During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.32 EPS. MDU Resources Group’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.900-0.950 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 11th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is currently 67.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer purchased 5,000 shares of MDU Resources Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $16.07 per share, for a total transaction of $80,350.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 344,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,536,886.36. The trade was a 1.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MDU Resources Group

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the third quarter worth $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 94.5% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,647 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 6,404.3% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,496 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,473 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Country Trust Bank acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

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.