Natixis Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 7.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,657 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,931 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $1,142,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BOKF NA increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. BOKF NA now owns 14,794 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 6.9% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 96,492 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,432,000 after acquiring an additional 6,237 shares in the last quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $571,000. Aurora Investment Counsel boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 18.1% in the 1st quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 82,052 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,068,000 after purchasing an additional 12,588 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its position in MDU Resources Group by 39.9% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 34,707 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $871,000 after purchasing an additional 9,899 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MDU has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Bank of America raised MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MDU opened at $20.16 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.04. The stock has a market cap of $4.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.34, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.76. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $14.91 and a 12 month high of $30.52.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $969.17 million. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 11.24%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.29 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.13 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 Wednesday, January 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.67%.

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.