Inspire Investing LLC Purchases 1,033 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Inspire Investing LLC grew its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 15,019 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,033 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $412,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 23.9% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,142 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 413 shares during the period. BOKF NA increased 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 worth $377,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 1.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its holdings in 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 valued at $6,444,000 after purchasing an additional 671 shares during the period. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 176,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,451,000 after purchasing an additional 708 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research note on Saturday, October 12th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE MDU opened at $29.12 on Friday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $18.04 and a 52 week high of $30.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $26.28 and its 200 day moving average is $25.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.44, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.77.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 9.25% and a return on equity of 11.29%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.29 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 12th were issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 12th. This is an increase from MDU Resources Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.22%.

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.