Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 6,917 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 398,545 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 6,917 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.20% of MDU Resources Group worth $7,182,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position 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 worth $33,000 after buying an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 84.4% in the 4th quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,487 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at MDU Resources Group

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the purchase, 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 ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MDU has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. 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 price target for the company. 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 assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MDU opened at $16.49 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.37 billion, a PE ratio of 11.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.99 and a 52 week high of $20.39. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $16.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.60.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

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.