Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Raises Stock Position 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 shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 3.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,450,566 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 263,572 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 4.14% of MDU Resources Group worth $142,894,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

MDU stock traded down $0.2050 on Monday, reaching $16.4750. 426,205 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,689,891. 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 fifty day moving average of $16.69 and a 200-day moving average of $16.80. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $14.91 and a twelve month high of $30.52. The firm has a market cap of $3.37 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.73.

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

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The company 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 $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. This is an increase from MDU Resources Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.83%.

Insider Activity at MDU Resources Group

In other news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer acquired 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.27 per share, for a total transaction of $81,350.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 339,548 shares in the company, valued at $5,524,445.96. This trade represents a 1.49% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.