Citigroup Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Citigroup Inc. grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 464.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 149,060 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 122,671 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.07% of MDU Resources Group worth $4,086,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 158.9% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 23.9% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,142 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MDU Resources Group Trading Down 0.5 %

MDU Resources Group stock traded down $0.09 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $19.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,371,235 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,622,257. The company has a 50 day moving average of $23.84 and a 200-day moving average of $24.85. The stock has a market cap of $4.03 billion, a PE ratio of 10.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a one year low of $14.91 and a one year high of $30.52.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 11.24% and a net margin of 8.92%. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $969.17 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.29 EPS. MDU Resources Group's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.13 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is 26.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MDU shares. StockNews.com started coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Siebert Williams Shank raised MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Bank of America raised MDU Resources Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th.

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.