Russell Investments Group Ltd. Grows Stock Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. $MDU

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. by 21.0%, owning approximately 0.24% of the company valued at $8.16 million after purchasing an additional 83,748 shares.
• MDU Resources Group recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 3.4%, a raise from their previous dividend of $0.13.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on MDU Resources Group, with two analysts rating it a "Buy," one a "Hold," and Wall Street Zen downgrading it from a "hold" to a "sell" rating.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 21.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 482,293 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 83,748 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.24% of MDU Resources Group worth $8,156,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 179.0% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,518 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 974 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 241.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $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 in the first quarter valued at $48,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at $82,000. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU stock traded down $0.3250 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $16.3550. 1,419,535 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,711,092. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $16.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.73. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.91 and a 12-month high of $30.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.74.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $351.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $315.67 million. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 8.29% and a net margin of 8.25%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.32 EPS. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.880-0.950 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS 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 issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This is a positive change 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 presently 49.06%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $16.27 per share, with a total value of $81,350.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 339,548 shares in the company, valued at $5,524,445.96. This represents a 1.49% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.94% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered 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 issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, MDU Resources Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $18.00.

MDU Resources Group 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.