Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Acquires Shares of 42,369 MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 42,369 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $763,000.

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

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 2.4 %

NYSE:MDU opened at $17.25 on Friday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a one year low of $14.91 and a one 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 company’s 50-day simple moving average is $17.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.50, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.80.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. As a group, analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.01%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.68%.

Insider Transactions at MDU Resources Group

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 the SEC website. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MDU. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Bank of America raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. One 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.00.

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.