Natixis Advisors LLC Purchases 16,527 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 39.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 58,184 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 16,527 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $1,048,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MDU. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 914 shares during 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 during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. 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 worth $63,000 after buying an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $82,000. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MDU has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "hold" rating and a $18.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com downgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $21.00.

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MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.0 %

MDU traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $16.67. The stock had a trading volume of 3,199,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,535,179. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $17.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $20.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a price-to-earnings 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 1-year low of $12.99 and a 1-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 quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, research analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is 37.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

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.