MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Shares Sold by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 73.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 151,289 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 415,410 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of MDU Resources Group worth $2,726,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in 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 buying an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings 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 during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 915 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings 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 valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MDU. 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 objective on the stock. StockNews.com lowered MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 2.7 %

MDU Resources Group stock opened at $16.89 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.30 and a 52 week high of $20.39. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $17.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the company’s 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 acquisition, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.