MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Shares Bought by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 380,990 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.19% of MDU Resources Group worth $6,865,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,344,185 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $174,713,000 after purchasing an additional 114,719 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,719,543 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $101,978,000 after buying an additional 65,433 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in MDU Resources Group by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,179,357 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,272,000 after buying an additional 96,889 shares during the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% during the fourth quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,833,000 after acquiring an additional 1,975,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 18.6% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,114,019 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $37,926,000 after acquiring an additional 331,481 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on MDU shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MDU Resources Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Trading Down 1.6 %

NYSE:MDU opened at $16.79 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a PE ratio of 12.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. The business’s 50 day moving average is $17.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.74 and a 52 week high of $20.39.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. On average, analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 180,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.59% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.