MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Reaches New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $21.50 and last traded at $21.4640, with a volume of 14603 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $21.40.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MDU shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Loop Capital set a $21.00 price objective on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.70. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $20.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.96.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.37. The business had revenue of $534.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $560.72 million. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 10.15% and a return on equity of 6.98%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.90 earnings per share. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.930-1.000 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is 60.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Charles M. Kelley purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $20.84 per share, with a total value of $104,200.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 8,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,366.04. This trade represents a 164.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.94% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MDU Resources Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings 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 worth $27,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the period. Finally, 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 worth $27,000 after buying an additional 1,473 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Company Profile

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.