MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Shares Acquired by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 148,911 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,214 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned 0.07% of MDU Resources Group worth $2,683,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 19.4% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 2.0% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 32,739 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $896,000 after buying an additional 641 shares in the last quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC grew its stake in MDU Resources Group by 2.2% during the third quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC now owns 39,335 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,078,000 after buying an additional 850 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 164.4% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 99.6% in the 4th 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MDU. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MDU Resources Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MDU opened at $16.79 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $17.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.54. 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 stock has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.16, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $12.99 and a 1-year high of $20.39.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share 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 expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 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 (DPR) is 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.