MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Position Trimmed by John G Ullman & Associates Inc.

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 397,794 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,988 shares during the quarter. MDU Resources Group makes up 1.1% of John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. owned 0.20% of MDU Resources Group worth $7,168,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MDU. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its stake in MDU Resources Group by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 23,585 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $646,000 after acquiring an additional 1,605 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in MDU Resources Group by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 89,010 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,440,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $6,351,000. Hudson Value Partners LLC grew its stake in MDU Resources Group by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 212,815 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,833,000 after acquiring an additional 7,292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of MDU Resources Group stock opened at $17.25 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.50, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $17.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.56. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS 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%. Equities analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 3.01%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Bank of America raised MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 target price for the company. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank raised MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

Insider Transactions at MDU Resources Group

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. This represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.