Bragg Financial Advisors Inc Has $10.61 Million Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Bragg Financial Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 588,715 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 33,734 shares during the period. Bragg Financial Advisors Inc owned about 0.29% of MDU Resources Group worth $10,609,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 164.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 84.4% during the fourth quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,487 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 1,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in MDU Resources Group by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company's stock.

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Insider Transactions at MDU Resources Group

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on MDU shares. 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 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of MDU stock traded up $0.12 on Tuesday, reaching $16.79. 909,172 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,514,272. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $16.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.45. The stock has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a PE ratio of 12.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a one year low of $12.99 and a one year high of $20.39. 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 (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.