MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.13

MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 13th,RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a dividend of 0.13 per share by the utilities provider on Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.08%.

MDU Resources Group has decreased its dividend by an average of 15.8% per year over the last three years. MDU Resources Group has a payout ratio of 50.5% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect MDU Resources Group to earn $1.12 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 46.4%.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of MDU traded up $0.07 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $16.90. The stock had a trading volume of 1,382,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,088,036. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $18.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.30. The firm has a market cap of $3.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. MDU Resources Group has a fifty-two week low of $14.91 and a fifty-two week high of $30.52.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group will post 0.95 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MDU shares. StockNews.com lowered MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank raised MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

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.