Jones Financial Companies Lllp Has $1.61 Million Stock Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 39.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 89,116 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 25,423 shares during the quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp's holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $1,606,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MDU. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 23,585 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $646,000 after purchasing an additional 1,605 shares during the period. Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $6,351,000. Hudson Value Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 212,815 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,833,000 after purchasing an additional 7,292 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 4.7% in the 3rd 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. 71.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on MDU. StockNews.com downgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $18.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

MDU stock traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $16.63. 1,701,310 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,945,882. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $14.91 and a twelve month high of $30.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share 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, equities research analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.13%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

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.