Brasada Capital Management LP Increases Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Brasada Capital Management LP lifted its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 359.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 55,101 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 43,101 shares during the period. Brasada Capital Management LP's holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $990,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC lifted its position in 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 period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 32.3% in the 3rd 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. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $778,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings 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 worth $2,089,000 after acquiring an additional 34,409 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% in the 4th quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $38,833,000 after purchasing an additional 1,975,200 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on MDU. Jefferies Financial Group initiated 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $21.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company's stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MDU traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $16.89. The company had a trading volume of 408,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,492,032. The firm has a market cap of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.23, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $16.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $18.80. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $13.23 and a 52 week high of $20.39.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. On average, analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.08%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.68%.

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.