Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Buys 96,889 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,179,357 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 96,889 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 1.07% of MDU Resources Group worth $39,272,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Unified Investment Management bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $371,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 39.9% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 89,116 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,606,000 after buying an additional 25,423 shares during the period. Bailard Inc. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 109.2% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 43,288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $780,000 after buying an additional 22,600 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,730,962 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,192,000 after buying an additional 57,265 shares during the period. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 47,939 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $864,000 after acquiring an additional 6,585 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed 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 shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU Resources Group stock opened at $16.89 on Friday. 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 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 one year low of $12.30 and a one year high of $20.39. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $17.34 and its 200-day moving average is $21.00.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.