MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Shares Acquired by Moors & Cabot Inc.

Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 3.5% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 42,013 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,415 shares during the quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $1,055,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BOKF NA increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 4.1% during the first quarter. BOKF NA now owns 14,794 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 34,869 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $875,000 after acquiring an additional 606 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 255,718 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,444,000 after acquiring an additional 671 shares during the period. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 176,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,451,000 after acquiring an additional 708 shares during the period. Finally, Hudson Value Partners LLC increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 210,808 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,312,000 after acquiring an additional 782 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU stock opened at $26.15 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.33 billion, a PE ratio of 11.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.77. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $18.04 and a 52-week high of $27.78. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $25.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.11. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 11.29% and a net margin of 9.25%. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.29 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 12th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This is a boost from MDU Resources Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 12th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.99%. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com cut MDU Resources Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th.

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.