MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Shares Purchased by LPL Financial LLC

LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 12.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 154,670 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 16,547 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned about 0.08% of MDU Resources Group worth $2,787,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MDU. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 164.4% during 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 increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 99.6% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 915 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the period. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth $77,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at MDU Resources Group

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of MDU Resources Group stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MDU shares. StockNews.com cut MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 0.7 %

MDU stock traded up $0.12 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $16.79. 909,172 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,511,601. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $16.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.16, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $12.99 and a 52-week high of $20.39.

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

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.