MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Position Trimmed by Pinebridge Investments L.P.

Pinebridge Investments L.P. lowered its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 102,948 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 9,193 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments L.P. owned approximately 0.05% of MDU Resources Group worth $1,855,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MDU. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 164.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 99.6% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 915 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 84.4% during the fourth quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,487 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,138 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Trading Down 1.0 %

MDU Resources Group stock opened at $16.89 on Monday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $13.23 and a 12 month high of $20.39. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $16.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.80. 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 market cap of $3.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.08%. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is presently 37.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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. 0.94% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on MDU. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.00.

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.