Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Acquires 2,019 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 13.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 17,130 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,019 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $311,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,344,185 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $174,713,000 after buying an additional 114,719 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,719,543 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $101,978,000 after buying an additional 65,433 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,179,357 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,272,000 after purchasing an additional 96,889 shares during the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. raised 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 purchasing an additional 1,975,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 331,481 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MDU opened at $16.66 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $17.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.15. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $14.91 and a 1-year high of $30.52.

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

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. 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 3.12%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.68%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MDU has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com cut MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.00.

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.