MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Holdings Increased by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 42.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 112,015 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 33,426 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D owned about 0.05% of MDU Resources Group worth $2,019,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MDU. Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 164.4% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 27.7% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,747 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 812 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 261,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,714,000 after acquiring an additional 34,851 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position 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 worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 18.6% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,114,019 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $37,926,000 after acquiring an additional 331,481 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 180,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:MDU opened at $16.64 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.83. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.91 and a 52 week high of $30.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15. The company has a market cap of $3.39 billion, a PE ratio of 12.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.80.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.12%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.68%.

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.