Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Buys 96,889 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,179,357 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 96,889 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 1.07% of MDU Resources Group worth $39,272,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MDU. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,344,185 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $174,713,000 after purchasing an additional 114,719 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,719,543 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $101,978,000 after buying an additional 65,433 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% in the fourth quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $38,833,000 after buying an additional 1,975,200 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 18.6% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,114,019 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $37,926,000 after buying an additional 331,481 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,110,595 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $38,033,000 after acquiring an additional 324,757 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 acquisition, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.59% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MDU shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $18.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MDU Resources Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 1.8 %

MDU stock traded up $0.30 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $17.15. The company had a trading volume of 770,357 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,893,141. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $14.91 and a 52-week high of $30.52. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.42, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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, research analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.68%.

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.