Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. Takes $496,000 Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 27,530 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $496,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 164.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in MDU Resources Group by 99.6% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 84.4% during the 4th quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,487 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 1,138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. This represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Remove Ads

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MDU shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "hold" rating and a $18.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MDU traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $16.04. The stock had a trading volume of 262,159 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,515,126. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.59, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $12.99 and a 1-year high of $20.39. 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's fifty day simple moving average is $16.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.67.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.24%. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is 37.68%.

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.