MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Holdings Boosted by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV increased its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 51.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 257,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 87,000 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV owned approximately 0.13% of MDU Resources Group worth $7,044,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 22.0% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,519 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 997 shares in the last quarter. MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter worth $550,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the third quarter worth $2,039,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 158.9% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 4.7% in the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 78,589 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,154,000 after purchasing an additional 3,535 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company's stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 2.5 %

MDU Resources Group stock traded up $0.45 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $18.34. 1,728,060 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,598,272. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $14.91 and a 1 year high of $30.52. 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 firm has a market cap of $3.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $25.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.32.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $969.17 million. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 11.24%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.29 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

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 given 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 2.84%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MDU has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Bank of America upgraded MDU Resources Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th.

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.