VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Makes New $2.48 Million Investment in MDU Resources Group, Inc. $MDU

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 148,801 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,481,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al owned 0.07% of MDU Resources Group as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings 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 during the period. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $116,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on MDU. Wall Street Zen downgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. TD Cowen began coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $20.00 price target on the stock. Cowen began coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded MDU Resources Group from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $19.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

MDU stock opened at $19.36 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.95 billion, a PE ratio of 18.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.70. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.91 and a 12-month high of $29.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $17.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.93.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last released 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 business had revenue of $351.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.67 million. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 8.25% and a return on equity of 8.29%. The business's revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.32 earnings per share. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.880-0.950 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, September 11th were given a $0.14 dividend. This is a boost from MDU Resources Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 11th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is currently 52.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In other news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.07 per share, with a total value of $80,350.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 344,548 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,536,886.36. This represents a 1.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.94% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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