Natixis Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 41,657 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,931 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $1,142,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the third quarter valued at about $2,234,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,198,000. Resolute Capital Asset Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,008,000. Algert Global LLC purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,281,000. Finally, Riverwater Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the third quarter worth approximately $1,348,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

NYSE MDU opened at $20.16 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $24.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.76. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.91 and a fifty-two week high of $30.52.

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

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.58%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.67%.

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.