Bailard Inc. Sells 19,500 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Bailard Inc. reduced its holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 45.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,788 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 19,500 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.'s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $402,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 179.0% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,518 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 241.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,304 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 84.4% during the fourth quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,487 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $77,000. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:MDU opened at $17.02 on Friday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $13.23 and a 1-year high of $20.39. The business's 50-day moving average price is $16.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.19, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.70.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.04. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 9.86% and a net margin of 7.93%. The firm had revenue of $674.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $653.13 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.52 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, June 12th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.06%. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is presently 40.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded MDU Resources Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th.

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.

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