Cwm LLC Sells 1,646 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Cwm LLC lessened its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 6.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,808 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,646 shares during the quarter. Cwm LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $625,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,971,000. FMR LLC increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 48.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,585,707 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $70,208,000 after purchasing an additional 1,174,799 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 49.6% during the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,931,590 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $58,045,000 after purchasing an additional 972,540 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 194.3% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,397,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,355,000 after purchasing an additional 922,403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,181,092 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $122,386,000 after purchasing an additional 858,100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 27th. Argus raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 20th.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Rob L. Johnson purchased 36,291 shares of MDU Resources Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $25.46 per share, with a total value of $923,968.86. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 41,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,067,639.64. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of MDU opened at $25.27 on Friday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $18.04 and a twelve month high of $25.99. The company has a market cap of $5.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $24.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.41.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.05. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 11.42%. The business had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.23 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 13th will be paid a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.37%.

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.