Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Raises Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. $MDU

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 3.2% during the first quarter, now owning approximately 8.45 million shares valued at around $142.89 million.
• MDU Resources Group reported earnings of $0.07 per share for the last quarter, missing estimates of $0.13 per share, but achieved a revenue of $351.20 million, surpassing expectations.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.14 per share, up from $0.13, representing a 3.4% dividend yield.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 3.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,450,566 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 263,572 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 4.14% of MDU Resources Group worth $142,894,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MDU. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 179.0% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,518 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 974 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 241.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,304 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the 1st quarter valued at $48,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter valued at $82,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other MDU Resources Group news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer acquired 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.27 per share, for a total transaction of $81,350.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 339,548 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,524,445.96. This trade represents a 1.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.94% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of MDU stock traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $16.34. 1,905,357 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,742,783. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.91 and a fifty-two week high of $30.52. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market cap of $3.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.41, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.73.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.13 by ($0.06). MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 8.29% and a net margin of 8.25%.The business had revenue of $351.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.67 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.32 EPS. MDU Resources Group's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.880-0.950 EPS. Equities analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This is a boost from MDU Resources Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Two 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 an average 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.