Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co Takes $305,000 Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 16,915 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $305,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 570 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in MDU Resources Group by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 32,739 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $896,000 after acquiring an additional 641 shares during the period. Ingalls & Snyder LLC boosted its position in MDU Resources Group by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC now owns 39,335 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,078,000 after acquiring an additional 850 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted 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 worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at MDU Resources Group

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

Shares of MDU opened at $16.67 on Monday. 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 firm has a market cap of $3.41 billion, a PE ratio of 12.08, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $12.99 and a twelve month high of $20.39. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $17.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.39.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, research analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is 37.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on MDU. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company 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.