MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Sees Large Volume Increase – Still a Buy?

MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 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

Several brokerages have commented on MDU. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Friday, April 10th. Loop Capital set a $21.00 target price on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of MDU Resources Group to $22.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.75.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $4.47 billion, a PE ratio of 23.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 0.70. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $21.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.78.

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

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, June 11th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is presently 60.87%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the third quarter valued at $487,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 35.4% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 685,347 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $12,206,000 after purchasing an additional 179,357 shares during the period. Alpine Global Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter worth $2,216,000. Perpetual Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth about $22,031,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 490.5% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 294,629 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,751,000 after purchasing an additional 244,733 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.