MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Shares Purchased by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,997,452 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,276,114 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 11.28% of MDU Resources Group worth $414,414,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MDU. State Street Corp grew its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,344,185 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $174,713,000 after acquiring an additional 114,719 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,719,543 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $101,978,000 after purchasing an additional 65,433 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,179,357 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,272,000 after buying an additional 96,889 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% during the 4th quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $38,833,000 after buying an additional 1,975,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,114,019 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $37,926,000 after acquiring an additional 331,481 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In other 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 price 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. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

MDU stock opened at $17.05 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $3.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.99 and a 12-month high of $20.39. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $17.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.05%. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

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.