25,200 Shares in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Bought by AdvisorShares Investments LLC

AdvisorShares Investments LLC purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 25,200 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $454,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MDU. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 7.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 87,022 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,386,000 after purchasing an additional 6,264 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 855,493 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $23,449,000 after acquiring an additional 209,042 shares during the period. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $778,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 42.2% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 115,907 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,089,000 after acquiring an additional 34,409 shares during the period. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% during the 4th quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,833,000 after purchasing an additional 1,975,200 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MDU has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of MDU opened at $17.20 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.51 billion, a PE ratio of 12.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $16.70 and its 200-day moving average is $18.70. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $13.23 and a 12 month high of $20.39.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. Equities research analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

MDU Resources Group Company 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.