EAM Investors LLC Makes New Investment in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

EAM Investors LLC purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 154,285 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,780,000. EAM Investors LLC owned 0.08% of MDU Resources Group as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 16.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,997,452 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $414,414,000 after buying an additional 3,276,114 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,857,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% during the 4th quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $38,833,000 after purchasing an additional 1,975,200 shares during the last quarter. Pertento Partners LLP lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $53,882,000 after purchasing an additional 1,419,118 shares during the period. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 300.1% in the 4th quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 691,993 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $12,470,000 after purchasing an additional 519,029 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at MDU Resources Group

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 2.0 %

MDU traded up $0.33 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $16.73. The company had a trading volume of 132,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,932,882. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.91 and a 52 week high of $30.52. The company has a market capitalization of $3.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.11, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $16.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.10. 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 announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. On average, research analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.11%. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is 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.