Strs Ohio Purchases Shares of 181,100 MDU Resources Group, Inc. $MDU

Key Points

• Strs Ohio has made a new investment in MDU Resources Group, purchasing 181,100 shares valued at approximately $3,062,000, representing about 0.09% of the company.
• MDU Resources Group has increased its quarterly dividend from $0.13 to $0.14, providing an annualized yield of 3.4%.
• Analysts have a mixed outlook on MDU Resources, with a recent downgrade to "sell" from Wall Street Zen, while the average price target is set at $18.00.

Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 181,100 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,062,000. Strs Ohio owned 0.09% of MDU Resources Group at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 18,974 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $342,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 11,329 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 753 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 29,903 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $506,000 after purchasing an additional 789 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 75,678 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,289,000 after purchasing an additional 965 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted 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 purchasing an additional 974 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 1.5%

NYSE:MDU traded up $0.24 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $16.09. 1,443,582 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,675,885. The company has a fifty day moving average of $16.62 and a 200 day moving average of $16.73. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $14.91 and a twelve month high of $30.52. The company has a market capitalization of $3.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.70. 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 announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $351.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 11th. This is a boost from MDU Resources Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $18.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer purchased 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.07 per share, for a total transaction of $80,350.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 344,548 shares in the company, valued at $5,536,886.36. This trade represents a 1.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.94% of the company's stock.

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.