8,264 Shares in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Purchased by Los Angeles Capital Management LLC

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 8,264 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $208,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MDU. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,181,092 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $122,386,000 after purchasing an additional 858,100 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 48.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,585,707 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $70,208,000 after buying an additional 1,174,799 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 49.6% during the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,931,590 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $58,045,000 after acquiring an additional 972,540 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,561,113 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $50,710,000 after acquiring an additional 44,067 shares during the period. Finally, Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC grew its position in MDU Resources Group by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 2,141,514 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,402,000 after acquiring an additional 67,273 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MDU opened at $25.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.37. The company has a market cap of $5.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.77. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $25.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.58. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $18.04 and a 1-year high of $25.99.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.05. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 11.42%. The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.23 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 13th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.00%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MDU Resources Group news, insider Rob L. Johnson purchased 36,291 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $25.46 per share, for a total transaction of $923,968.86. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 41,934 shares in the company, valued at $1,067,639.64. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on MDU shares. Argus raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, May 20th. StockNews.com raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 27th.

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.