MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Shares Sold by Walleye Trading LLC

Walleye Trading LLC decreased its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 90.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,334 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 149,094 shares during the quarter. Walleye Trading LLC's holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $276,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MDU. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 87,022 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,386,000 after buying an additional 6,264 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 855,493 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $23,449,000 after purchasing an additional 209,042 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter valued at $778,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 42.2% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 115,907 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,089,000 after buying an additional 34,409 shares during the period. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% during the fourth quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $38,833,000 after acquiring an additional 1,975,200 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MDU. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $18.00 target price for the company. 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 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of MDU traded down $0.17 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $16.89. 735,519 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,496,079. The firm has a market cap of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.24, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $13.23 and a 12-month high of $20.39. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $16.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

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 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. 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 3.08%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.94% of the company's stock.

MDU Resources Group 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.