Phocas Financial Corp. Invests $4.10 Million in MDU Resources Group, Inc. $MDU

Key Points

• Phocas Financial Corp. opened a new position of 210,150 shares in MDU Resources, valued at about $4.10 million, representing roughly 0.10% ownership at quarter-end.
• MDU reported Q (quarter) EPS of $0.37 (in line with estimates) and revenue of $534.0M (below the $560.7M estimate), set FY2026 guidance of $0.93–$1.00 EPS, and carries a consensus analyst rating of Hold with an average target of $21.00.
• Insider activity and shareholder metrics: Director Charles M. Kelley bought 5,000 shares (≈$104,200), institutional investors own about 71.44% of the stock, and the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.14 (annualized yield ~2.5%).

Phocas Financial Corp. acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 210,150 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,102,000. Phocas Financial Corp. owned about 0.10% of MDU Resources Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 110,417 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,154,000 after acquiring an additional 1,228 shares in the last quarter. Smith Moore & CO. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Smith Moore & CO. now owns 12,855 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $263,000. Register Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Register Financial Advisors LLC now owns 85,841 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,676,000 after acquiring an additional 2,821 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on MDU shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Friday. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $21.00 price target on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of MDU Resources Group stock opened at $22.01 on Wednesday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $15.76 and a 52-week high of $22.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The company's fifty day moving average price is $20.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $20.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.51 billion, a PE ratio of 23.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 0.70.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.37. The company had revenue of $534.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $560.72 million. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 10.15% and a return on equity of 6.98%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.930-1.000 EPS. On average, analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th were given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio is 60.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Charles M. Kelley purchased 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $20.84 per share, for a total transaction of $104,200.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,031 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,366.04. The trade was a 164.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MDU Resources Group Company Profile

MDU Resources Group, Inc is a diversified energy and services holding company headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota. The company operates through two primary segments: Utilities and Construction Services and Pipelines & Midstream. Serving a broad geographic footprint across the upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest, MDU provides essential energy distribution and infrastructure services to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

The Utilities segment delivers electric and natural gas distribution services in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas, Wisconsin, Michigan and Washington.

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