Unified Investment Management Takes Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Unified Investment Management purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 20,577 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $371,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in MDU Resources Group by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 32,739 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $896,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 158.9% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC now owns 39,335 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,078,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 164.4% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 180,166 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,997,962.24. This represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MDU. StockNews.com lowered MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $18.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 2.5 %

NYSE:MDU traded down $0.43 on Thursday, hitting $16.54. The stock had a trading volume of 1,115,014 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,951,570. The company has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a PE ratio of 11.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.91 and a 52 week high of $30.52. The business's fifty day moving average is $17.54 and its 200 day moving average is $21.41.

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 for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. MDU Resources Group's 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.