Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Purchases 109,325 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 226.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 157,595 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 109,325 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.08% of MDU Resources Group worth $2,840,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Hennessy Advisors Inc. boosted its position in MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% in the 4th quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $38,833,000 after buying an additional 1,975,200 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 109.3% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 988,008 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $17,804,000 after acquiring an additional 515,878 shares during the period. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 40.9% during the fourth quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,334,820 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $24,053,000 after acquiring an additional 387,173 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,114,019 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $37,926,000 after acquiring an additional 331,481 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 18.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,110,595 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $38,033,000 after purchasing an additional 324,757 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on MDU. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $18.00 price objective on the stock. 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE MDU traded up $0.24 during trading on Monday, reaching $16.89. 2,427,101 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,534,748. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $12.99 and a fifty-two 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. The firm has a market cap of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $17.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.33.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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%. Analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.