Barclays PLC Purchases 6,264 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 7.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 87,022 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,264 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $2,386,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 40.9% during the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 6,048,344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $151,813,000 after acquiring an additional 1,756,530 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 30.7% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,158,224 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $104,371,000 after purchasing an additional 977,487 shares during the last quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 2nd quarter worth $24,372,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,491,990 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $188,049,000 after buying an additional 563,424 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 36.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,745,980 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,824,000 after buying an additional 467,465 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MDU has been the subject of several recent research reports. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded 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. StockNews.com started coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America raised MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MDU opened at $18.25 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $3.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.36, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.79. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $14.91 and a 12 month high of $30.52. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $21.14 and its 200 day moving average is $24.18.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 11.24% and a net margin of 8.92%. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $969.17 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.13 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 12th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.67%.

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.