Inspire Investing LLC Raises Stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Inspire Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 48.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,276 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,257 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $401,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 158.9% during the 3rd 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 acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position 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. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in MDU Resources Group by 238.1% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,935 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 2,067 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of MDU opened at $18.09 on Monday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $18.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.09. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $14.91 and a 1 year high of $30.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.69 billion, a PE ratio of 9.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.81.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $969.17 million. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 11.24%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.29 EPS. Analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 12th were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is 26.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MDU has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com started coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Siebert Williams Shank raised 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 research note on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.00.

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.