The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Takes $1.24 Million Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. $MDU

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired 58,341 shares of MDU Resources Group in the second quarter, valued at approximately $1.24 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 71.44% of the company.
• MDU reported quarterly EPS of $0.10, exceeding analyst expectations of $0.09, while revenue rose 6.8% year over year to $375.3 million but fell short of estimates.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $0.145 per share, equating to an annualized $0.58 dividend and a 3.0% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $23.40 versus the stock’s $19.59 price.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 58,341 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,237,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the second quarter worth $580,127,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $276,933,000. Earnest Partners LLC increased its stake in MDU Resources Group by 678.2% in the 4th quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 9,946,196 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $194,150,000 after purchasing an additional 8,668,137 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 2,442.7% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,436,521 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $86,601,000 after buying an additional 4,262,042 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth about $59,617,000. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU opened at $19.59 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.01 billion, a PE ratio of 20.62, a PEG ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company's 50 day moving average price is $20.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.05. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $15.76 and a 52 week high of $22.98.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.01. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 10.75% and a return on equity of 6.89%. The company had revenue of $375.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $396.56 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.07 EPS. The company's revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.930-1.000 EPS. Research analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, September 10th will be given a dividend of $0.145 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 10th. This is a positive change from MDU Resources Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. This represents a $0.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is 61.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on MDU. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of MDU Resources Group to $22.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Monday, July 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $27.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $23.40.

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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