Massar Capital Management LP Acquires Shares of 53,058 MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Massar Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 53,058 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $956,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 132.0% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,999,856 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $126,137,000 after purchasing an additional 3,982,783 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 3,276,114 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,857,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% during the fourth quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $38,833,000 after acquiring an additional 1,975,200 shares during the period. Finally, Pertento Partners LLP increased its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 90.3% during the fourth quarter. Pertento Partners LLP now owns 2,990,144 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $53,882,000 after acquiring an additional 1,419,118 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at MDU Resources Group

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in 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 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. One equities 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE MDU traded down $0.17 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $16.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 735,519 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,500,233. 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 fifty-two week low of $13.23 and a fifty-two week high of $20.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.24, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.80.

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 (EPS) 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%. Equities research analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.68%.

MDU Resources Group 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.