Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Purchases 68,329 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 589.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 79,930 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 68,329 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System's holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $1,440,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 41,657 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,142,000 after purchasing an additional 2,931 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $83,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,082,468 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $57,080,000 after buying an additional 101,955 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 464.9% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 149,060 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,086,000 after acquiring an additional 122,671 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 5.9% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 57,472 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,575,000 after acquiring an additional 3,177 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU stock traded down $0.03 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $16.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,496,372 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,392,800. The business has a fifty day moving average of $17.21 and a 200-day moving average of $20.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.86 and a 52 week high of $20.39. The company has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a PE ratio of 12.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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, research analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MDU shares. StockNews.com cut shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research 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 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $21.00.

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.