MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Shares Bought by Prudential Financial Inc.

Prudential Financial Inc. increased its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 203.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 231,308 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 155,062 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of MDU Resources Group worth $4,242,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 164.4% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 914 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the period. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter worth about $77,000. 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 firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. This represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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MDU Resources Group Trading Down 4.5 %

MDU traded down $0.76 during trading on Friday, hitting $16.04. 2,629,817 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,522,088. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.05. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $12.99 and a 1 year high of $20.39. The firm has a market cap of $3.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. As a group, equities analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.24%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on MDU. 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 initiated coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $21.00.

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.