Bailard Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Bailard Inc. increased its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 109.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,600 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $780,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 164.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 158.9% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 99.6% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 915 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MDU opened at $17.16 on Tuesday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $14.91 and a 1-year high of $30.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The business has a 50 day moving average of $17.60 and a 200 day moving average of $21.49. The company has a market capitalization of $3.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.43, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.80.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MDU. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded 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 report on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.