Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. Purchases 15,900 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. $MDU

Key Points

• Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 19.0% by purchasing an additional 15,900 shares, bringing its total holdings to 99,381 shares valued at approximately $1,657,000.
• MDU Resources Group has recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.13 to $0.14 per share, demonstrating a 3.0% yield and a payout ratio of 52.83%.
• In its latest earnings report, MDU Resources Group missed EPS estimates with $0.07 reported versus a projected $0.13, while revenues exceeded expectations at $351.20 million.

Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 99,381 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 15,900 shares during the period. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $1,657,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,405,598 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $395,789,000 after buying an additional 408,146 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 3.2% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,450,566 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $142,894,000 after purchasing an additional 263,572 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 30.1% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,124,863 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $52,841,000 after purchasing an additional 723,560 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 6.9% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,329,538 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $39,392,000 after purchasing an additional 150,181 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 7.7% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,276,045 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $38,533,000 after purchasing an additional 162,026 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE MDU opened at $18.75 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $3.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.70. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.91 and a 52 week high of $30.52. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $16.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $16.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

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

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, September 11th were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. This is an increase from MDU Resources Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 11th. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 52.83%.

Insider Transactions at MDU Resources Group

In related news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer purchased 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.07 per share, for a total transaction of $80,350.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 344,548 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,536,886.36. This represents a 1.47% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MDU has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $20.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Wall Street Zen lowered MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised MDU Resources Group from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $18.67.

About MDU Resources Group

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.

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