MDU Resources Group, Inc. $MDU Position Boosted by AQR Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC has increased its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. by 40.5%, holding a total of $25.62 million in the company.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.14 per share, up from the previous $0.13, representing a 3.4% yield.
• MDU Resources Group reported earnings of $0.07 per share, missing analyst estimates, while the company’s revenue grew by 1.9% year-over-year.

AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 40.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,538,739 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 443,379 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.75% of MDU Resources Group worth $25,620,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 28.6% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 66,160 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,119,000 after buying an additional 14,701 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 241.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,304 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 21,663 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 1,742 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter valued at $185,000. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 16.5% in the 1st quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 69,446 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,174,000 after purchasing an additional 9,846 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE:MDU traded down $0.14 on Friday, reaching $16.27. The stock had a trading volume of 1,059,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,463,857. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a 50-day moving average of $16.65 and a 200 day moving average of $16.75. The stock has a market cap of $3.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.70. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.91 and a 12-month high of $30.52.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.13 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $351.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $315.67 million. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 8.25% and a return on equity of 8.29%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.880-0.950 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 11th will be given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 11th. This is an increase from MDU Resources Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 52.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer acquired 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $16.07 per share, with a total value of $80,350.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 344,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,536,886.36. This represents a 1.47% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, MDU Resources Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $18.00.

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.