MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Here’s Why

MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) saw strong trading volume on Thursday . 3,460,552 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 87% from the previous session’s volume of 1,847,297 shares.The stock last traded at $21.7210 and had previously closed at $22.00.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. Loop Capital set a $21.00 price target on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on MDU Resources Group to $22.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.75.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 1.6%

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $21.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.10, a PEG ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.75.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.03). MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 10.47% and a return on equity of 6.82%. The company had revenue of $605.98 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $688.34 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.40 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.930-1.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, June 11th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.87%.

Institutional Trading of MDU Resources Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 6,404.3% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,496 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,473 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 94.5% in the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,647 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 13,185.7% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,860 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,846 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.