Brasada Capital Management LP Purchases 43,101 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Brasada Capital Management LP increased its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 359.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,101 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 43,101 shares during the quarter. Brasada Capital Management LP’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $990,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 19.4% in 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. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 914 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riverwater Partners LLC grew its position in MDU Resources Group by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 50,714 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $914,000 after purchasing an additional 1,151 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the purchase, 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MDU has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MDU opened at $16.74 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $16.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.08. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $13.23 and a 52-week high of $20.39. The company has a market cap of $3.42 billion, a PE ratio of 12.13, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 anticipate 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is 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.