Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Buys 49,200 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 68.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 121,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 49,200 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned approximately 0.06% of MDU Resources Group worth $3,317,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 158.9% in the third 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. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in MDU Resources Group by 23.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,142 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 413 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MDU traded down $0.01 on Friday, hitting $20.04. 1,292,194 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,114,655. The company's 50 day moving average price is $24.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.28, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.76. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results 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 period in the previous year, the company posted $0.29 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.59%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.67%.

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.