Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC Sells 137,888 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC lessened its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,690,715 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 137,888 shares during the quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC owned about 2.79% of MDU Resources Group worth $102,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MDU. Pertento Partners LLP boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 90.3% in the 4th quarter. Pertento Partners LLP now owns 2,990,144 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $53,882,000 after purchasing an additional 1,419,118 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 57.7% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 42,480 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $765,000 after buying an additional 15,538 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter worth about $40,857,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 27.1% during the fourth quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 672,323 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $12,115,000 after purchasing an additional 143,442 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $305,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on MDU. StockNews.com downgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $18.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Trading Down 1.0 %

MDU traded down $0.17 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $16.87. 863,980 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,507,280. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.99 and a 52 week high of $20.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $17.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

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.