Barclays PLC Raises Stock Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Barclays PLC lifted its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 7.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 87,022 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,264 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $2,386,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU Resources Group stock opened at $18.25 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.72 billion, a PE ratio of 9.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $21.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.18. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a one year low of $14.91 and a one year high of $30.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15.

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

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Siebert Williams Shank raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating for the company.

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.