Foundry Partners LLC Makes New Investment in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Foundry Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 167,587 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,594,000. Foundry Partners LLC owned 0.08% of MDU Resources Group as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MDU. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 46,208 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,164,000 after purchasing an additional 5,177 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $319,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 20.4% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 205,763 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,185,000 after acquiring an additional 34,859 shares in the last quarter. BOKF NA grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. BOKF NA now owns 14,794 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $377,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 6.9% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 96,492 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,432,000 after purchasing an additional 6,237 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU Resources Group stock traded up $0.66 during trading on Friday, hitting $19.94. 2,413,033 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,608,589. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $14.91 and a 1-year high of $30.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $24.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $25.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $969.17 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.29 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 12th. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is 26.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MDU has been the subject of several recent research reports. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America raised MDU Resources Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price target for the stock 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.