MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Shares Bought by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 74.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 98,600 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 42,100 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System's holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $1,777,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter worth $2,234,000. Foundry Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the third quarter worth about $4,594,000. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter worth about $778,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 5.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,082,468 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $57,080,000 after purchasing an additional 101,955 shares during the period. Finally, Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 21.3% in the fourth quarter. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 81,626 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,471,000 after purchasing an additional 14,360 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company's stock.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

NYSE:MDU traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $16.84. 1,140,281 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,016,320. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $14.91 and a 1-year high of $30.52. The stock has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.80. The firm's 50-day moving average is $17.92 and its 200-day moving average is $22.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. Equities research analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.09%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MDU shares. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America raised MDU Resources Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. 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 target price for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $21.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.59% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.