Aurora Investment Counsel Sells 1,070 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Aurora Investment Counsel trimmed its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 1.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 80,982 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,070 shares during the period. MDU Resources Group comprises approximately 1.2% of Aurora Investment Counsel’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Aurora Investment Counsel’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $2,033,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 29.2% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 280,244 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,062,000 after acquiring an additional 63,403 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 401,619 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,121,000 after purchasing an additional 58,220 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 58.2% during the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 54,111 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,364,000 after buying an additional 19,916 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in MDU Resources Group during the second quarter worth $2,198,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,561,113 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $50,710,000 after acquiring an additional 44,067 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MDU opened at $27.39 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $18.04 and a twelve month high of $27.92. The company has a fifty day moving average of $25.79 and a 200-day moving average of $25.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.77.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 9.25% and a return on equity of 11.29%. The business’s revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.29 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.58 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 12th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 12th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.90%. This is a positive change from MDU Resources Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered MDU Resources Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th.

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.