MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Shares Acquired by Legal & General Group Plc

Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 54.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 692,779 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 243,207 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.34% of MDU Resources Group worth $12,484,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 164.4% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 99.6% in the 4th 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 MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in MDU Resources Group by 84.4% in the fourth quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,487 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 19.4% during 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MDU has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $18.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

MDU Resources Group stock opened at $16.77 on Thursday. 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 50 day moving average of $16.69 and a 200-day moving average of $19.43. The stock has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.15, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 announced 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%. On average, analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio 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.

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