Jefferies Financial Group Upgrades MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) to "Buy"

Key Points

• MDU Resources Group was upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" to a "buy" rating, with a target price of $20.00, indicating a potential upside of 24.30% from its current price.
• Despite the upgrade from Jefferies, Wall Street Zen downgraded the stock from "hold" to "sell," with the overall consensus still being an average rating of "buy" and a price target of $18.67.
• MDU Resources Group reported a net margin of 8.25% and earnings per share of $0.07 for the recent quarter, missing estimates but demonstrating a 1.9% revenue increase compared to the previous year.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The firm presently has a $20.00 target price on the utilities provider's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective indicates a potential upside of 19.62% from the stock's current price.

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $18.67.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of MDU stock traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $16.72. The stock had a trading volume of 3,265,889 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,713,370. MDU Resources Group has a 12-month low of $14.91 and a 12-month high of $30.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.70. The firm's 50-day moving average is $16.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.13 by ($0.06). MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 8.29% and a net margin of 8.25%.The firm had revenue of $351.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $315.67 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.32 earnings per share. MDU Resources Group's quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.880-0.950 EPS. On average, analysts predict that MDU Resources Group will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MDU Resources Group news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer acquired 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.07 per share, with a total value of $80,350.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 344,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,536,886.36. This trade represents a 1.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MDU Resources Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MDU. Norges Bank purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group during the second quarter worth approximately $40,087,000. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the second quarter worth $26,098,000. River Road Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the second quarter valued at $26,105,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 195.0% in the first quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,548,864 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,191,000 after buying an additional 1,023,864 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the first quarter valued at $14,636,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

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.