MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Shares Purchased by V Square Quantitative Management LLC

V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 99.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,834 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 915 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $33,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MDU. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 158.9% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the third quarter worth approximately $82,000. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

NYSE MDU opened at $16.78 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $17.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.91 and a fifty-two week high of $30.52.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.95 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MDU shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price target on the stock. Siebert Williams Shank raised MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America raised MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of MDU Resources Group stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Company 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.