New York State Teachers Retirement System Buys 34,851 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 15.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 261,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,851 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.13% of MDU Resources Group worth $4,714,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 158.9% in the third 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. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 99.6% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 915 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in MDU Resources Group during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at MDU Resources Group

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of MDU Resources Group stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of MDU Resources Group stock opened at $16.71 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $17.79 and its 200 day moving average is $21.92. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a one year low of $14.91 and a one year high of $30.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The firm has a market cap of $3.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.11, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.80.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is 37.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MDU shares. Bank of America raised MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. 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 note on Monday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. Finally, StockNews.com cut MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.00.

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.