AdvisorShares Investments LLC Acquires New Stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

AdvisorShares Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 25,200 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $454,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth about $778,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 42.2% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 115,907 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,089,000 after purchasing an additional 34,409 shares in the last quarter. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 21.3% in the 4th quarter. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 81,626 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,471,000 after buying an additional 14,360 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in MDU Resources Group by 32.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 855,493 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $23,449,000 after purchasing an additional 209,042 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Preferred LLC bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,691,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased 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 owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.94% of the company's stock.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE MDU traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $17.50. The stock had a trading volume of 1,153,649 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,476,988. The firm has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.72. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $13.23 and a fifty-two week high of $20.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $16.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.53.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is 37.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MDU shares. StockNews.com cut shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. One research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average 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.