Ancora Advisors LLC Sells 54,372 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Ancora Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 6.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 745,995 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 54,372 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC owned about 0.37% of MDU Resources Group worth $13,443,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 7.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 87,022 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,386,000 after buying an additional 6,264 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in MDU Resources Group by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 855,493 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $23,449,000 after acquiring an additional 209,042 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $778,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 42.2% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 115,907 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,089,000 after purchasing an additional 34,409 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% during the fourth quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $38,833,000 after purchasing an additional 1,975,200 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of MDU Resources Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. This represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.94% of the company's stock.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE:MDU traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $17.55. The company had a trading volume of 1,730,748 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,470,286. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07. 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 capitalization of $3.58 billion, a PE ratio of 12.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $16.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.29.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) 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 net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. On average, equities research analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MDU shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $21.00.

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.