New York State Teachers Retirement System Acquires 34,851 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 15.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 261,622 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 34,851 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.13% of MDU Resources Group worth $4,714,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 158.9% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 734 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 915 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 238.1% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,935 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 2,067 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Siebert Williams Shank raised MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. Bank of America upgraded MDU Resources Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $21.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

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 cost of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the purchase, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $16.64. 2,126,790 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,027,006. The business's 50-day moving average price is $17.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.92. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $14.91 and a twelve month high of $30.52. The company has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.06, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.80.

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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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 will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.12%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

MDU Resources Group Company 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.