MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Shares Sold by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets cut its holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 32.5% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 24,807 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 11,958 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $680,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MDU. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 158.9% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in MDU Resources Group by 23.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,142 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MDU. Bank of America upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Tuesday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock.

MDU Resources Group Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE MDU opened at $18.81 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.56. The stock has a market cap of $3.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.65, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.79. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.91 and a 52 week high of $30.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $969.17 million. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 11.24% and a net margin of 8.92%. MDU Resources Group’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.29 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is 26.67%.

About MDU Resources Group

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.