Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Lowers Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lowered its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 7.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,036,899 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 82,926 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 0.51% of MDU Resources Group worth $18,685,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $77,000. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MDU has been the subject of a number of research reports. 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 objective for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MDU Resources Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $21.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of MDU Resources Group stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE MDU traded up $0.34 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $16.49. The stock had a trading volume of 1,545,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,522,080. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $16.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.60. 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 quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $3.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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.