Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 16,915 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $305,000.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MDU. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 164.4% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 99.6% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $77,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MDU. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "hold" rating and a $18.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $21.00.
Read Our Latest Report on MDU Resources Group
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 180,166 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
MDU Resources Group Stock Performance
MDU traded down $0.76 on Friday, reaching $16.04. 2,629,817 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,520,641. 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 company's 50-day moving average price is $16.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.28 billion, a PE ratio of 11.62, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $12.99 and a fifty-two week high of $20.39.
MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.
MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.24%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.68%.
About MDU Resources Group
(
Free Report)
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.
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