Bailard Inc. Grows Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Bailard Inc. increased its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 109.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 43,288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,600 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $780,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 914 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 158.9% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares in 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. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

MDU stock opened at $17.16 on Tuesday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.91 and a 52 week high of $30.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.49. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 180,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MDU has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America raised MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group began 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 report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.