34,850 Shares in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Bought by Entropy Technologies LP

Entropy Technologies LP bought 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 disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 34,850 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $628,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MDU. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings 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 worth $63,000 after buying an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on MDU shares. StockNews.com downgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "hold" rating and a $18.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America upgraded MDU Resources Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank upgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

MDU traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $16.78. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,497,005 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,091,385. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.91 and a fifty-two week high of $30.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.42 billion, a PE ratio of 12.16, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.16.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.95 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.68%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MDU Resources Group 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.