MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Meets Expectations

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.37, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $534.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $560.72 million. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 9.02% and a return on equity of 6.81%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.90 earnings per share. MDU Resources Group updated its FY 2026 guidance to 0.930-1.000 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from MDU Resources Group’s conference call:

• MDU reported 2025 earnings of $190.4 million ( $0.93 per share), in the middle of guidance, and issued 2026 EPS guidance of $0.93–$1.00 while maintaining a long-term EPS growth target of 6%–8% and a 60%–70% dividend payout ratio.
• The company deployed $792 million of capital in 2025, closed and placed in service a 49% interest in the Badger Wind Farm (driving a 16% year-over-year increase in utility rate base) and raised its 2026–2030 capex plan to $3.1 billion.
• Regulatory actions were mixed but constructive overall — North Dakota approved recovery for Badger Wind and Idaho and Washington rate increases took effect, while Montana denied interim rate relief (reconsideration requested), leaving some near-term recovery timing uncertainty.
• MDU has signed electric service agreements for 580 MW of data center load (phased online through 2027) using a capital‑light approach that the company says benefits earnings and reduces costs for other retail customers.
• The pipeline segment posted record earnings ($68.2 million) and is advancing projects — Line Section 32, Minot Industrial Pipeline support, and the Bakken East open season (through March 13) with a potential FERC 7C filing targeted in Q3 2026 and an eventual FID dependent on customer commitments and financing decisions.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of MDU Resources Group stock traded down $0.60 on Thursday, hitting $20.43. The company had a trading volume of 1,938,128 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,132,510. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.75. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $20.06 and a 200-day moving average of $18.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.69. MDU Resources Group has a twelve month low of $15.04 and a twelve month high of $21.49.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 11th were paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 11th. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is presently 67.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “hold” rating and a $20.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on MDU Resources Group to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MDU. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 9.6% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 252,731 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,501,000 after acquiring an additional 22,238 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 6,404.3% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,496 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,473 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter worth $142,000. Hancock Whitney Corp raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 36.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 26,607 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $474,000 after acquiring an additional 7,111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 33.8% in the 3rd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 81,952 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,460,000 after purchasing an additional 20,713 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

About MDU Resources Group

MDU Resources Group, Inc is a diversified energy and services holding company headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota. The company operates through two primary segments: Utilities and Construction Services and Pipelines & Midstream. Serving a broad geographic footprint across the upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest, MDU provides essential energy distribution and infrastructure services to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

The Utilities segment delivers electric and natural gas distribution services in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas, Wisconsin, Michigan and Washington.