MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Stock Position Raised by Loomis Sayles & Co. L P

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 27.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 672,323 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 143,442 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned approximately 0.33% of MDU Resources Group worth $12,115,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $305,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 133.7% during the fourth quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 58,059 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,046,000 after purchasing an additional 33,213 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter worth about $256,000. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 203.4% in the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 231,308 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,242,000 after buying an additional 155,062 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 16.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,997,452 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $414,414,000 after buying an additional 3,276,114 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Remove Ads

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MDU traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $16.98. The company had a trading volume of 551,523 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,516,206. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $12.99 and a 12 month high of $20.39. The stock has a market cap of $3.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.31, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. 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 50 day simple moving average is $17.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $20.26.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.68%.

MDU Resources Group Company 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.