MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Upgraded to Buy at Jefferies Financial Group

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 stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $20.00 price target on the utilities provider's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective suggests a potential upside of 19.62% from the company's previous close.

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $18.67.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of MDU Resources Group 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $16.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.72. MDU Resources Group has a 12-month low of $14.91 and a 12-month high of $30.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market cap 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.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $351.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $315.67 million. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 8.29% and a net margin of 8.25%.The company's revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.32 earnings per share. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.880-0.950 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at MDU Resources Group

In other news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer acquired 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.07 per share, with a total value of $80,350.00. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.94% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of MDU Resources Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 974 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 94.5% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,647 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 241.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Country Trust Bank purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. 71.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.