MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Plans Dividend Increase - $0.14 Per Share

Key Points

• MDU Resources Group, Inc. announced a quarterly dividend increase of $0.14 per share, representing a 7.7% rise from the previous dividend of $0.13.
• The company's dividend payout ratio stands at 50%, indicating that it is adequately covered by earnings, with expected earnings per share of $1.01 next year.
• MDU Resources Group's stock price fell 1.6% to $16.62, with a market capitalization of $3.40 billion and a current P/E ratio of 15.68.

MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, August 14th, RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of 0.14 per share by the utilities provider on Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. This is a 7.7% increase from MDU Resources Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13.

MDU Resources Group has a payout ratio of 50.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect MDU Resources Group to earn $1.01 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.52 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 51.5%.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

MDU Resources Group stock traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $16.38. 112,191 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,685,424. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.35 billion, a PE ratio of 15.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.73. MDU Resources Group has a fifty-two week low of $14.91 and a fifty-two week high of $30.52. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.83. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.13 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $351.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.67 million. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 8.29% and a net margin of 8.25%. The firm's revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.32 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th.

MDU Resources Group Company 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.