American Century Companies Inc. Sells 822,186 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

American Century Companies Inc. lessened its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 16.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,320,762 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 822,186 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 2.12% of MDU Resources Group worth $77,860,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MDU. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter worth about $778,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 34,409 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 5.1% in 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. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in 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 worth $1,471,000 after purchasing an additional 14,360 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 32.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 855,493 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $23,449,000 after buying an additional 209,042 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $21.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of MDU Resources Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. This represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MDU traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $16.67. 3,199,381 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,535,179. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $17.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $20.52. The company has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $12.99 and a 52-week high of $20.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last released its 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 return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. Equities research analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.