Advisors Asset Management Inc. Acquires 44,587 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 19.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 278,319 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 44,587 shares during the quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. owned 0.14% of MDU Resources Group worth $5,015,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Foundry Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the third quarter worth $4,594,000. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter worth about $778,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 42.2% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 115,907 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,089,000 after acquiring an additional 34,409 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 5.1% during 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 acquiring an additional 101,955 shares during the period. Finally, Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 21.3% in the 4th quarter. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 81,626 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,471,000 after acquiring an additional 14,360 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

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Insider Activity at MDU Resources Group

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 1.8 %

NYSE:MDU traded up $0.30 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $17.07. The stock had a trading volume of 1,405,752 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,394,546. The stock has a market cap of $3.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.37, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. The business's 50 day moving average is $17.24 and its 200 day moving average is $20.68. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $12.74 and a fifty-two week high of $20.39.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio is 37.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MDU has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "hold" rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MDU Resources Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $21.00.

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.