Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Sells 1,704 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 3.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 55,524 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,704 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $1,394,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MDU has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Argus raised MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 20th. StockNews.com cut MDU Resources Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 1.0 %

MDU opened at $25.06 on Thursday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $18.04 and a 12 month high of $27.30. The company has a market cap of $5.11 billion, a PE ratio of 10.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company has a 50 day moving average of $25.38 and a 200 day moving average of $24.55.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.29 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 12th. This is a positive change from MDU Resources Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

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.