WINTON GROUP Ltd Grows Stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

WINTON GROUP Ltd boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 133.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 58,059 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 33,213 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $1,046,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 164.4% during 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 last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 99.6% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 19.4% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $77,000. 71.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity 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 shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of MDU opened at $16.67 on Friday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.99 and a 12-month high of $20.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $17.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

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

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given 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 of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is 37.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MDU has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. One investment 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, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

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.