CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co Raises Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 43.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 200,099 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 60,864 shares during the quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned 0.10% of MDU Resources Group worth $3,603,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 16.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,997,452 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $414,414,000 after purchasing an additional 3,276,114 shares in the last quarter. Pertento Partners LLP boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 90.3% in the 4th quarter. Pertento Partners LLP now owns 2,990,144 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $53,882,000 after purchasing an additional 1,419,118 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter valued at $40,857,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,179,357 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $39,272,000 after acquiring an additional 96,889 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company's stock.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of MDU stock traded up $0.22 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $17.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,162,792 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,489,574. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $16.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.71. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $13.23 and a 52 week 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 company has a market cap of $3.51 billion, a PE ratio of 12.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS 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 research analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is 37.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MDU shares. StockNews.com downgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "hold" rating and a $18.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $21.00.

Insider Activity at MDU Resources Group

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.