Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Sells 25,710 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. $MDU

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in MDU Resources Group by 3.7%, holding 666,283 shares worth approximately $11.27 million at the end of the first quarter.
• MDU Resources Group recently declared an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.14 per share, reflecting a dividend yield of 3.4% and a payout ratio of 49.06%.
• Despite a revenue increase of 1.9% year-over-year, MDU Resources Group reported earnings of $0.07 per share, missing analysts' expectations of $0.13.

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 3.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 666,283 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 25,710 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.33% of MDU Resources Group worth $11,267,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 179.0% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,518 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 974 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 241.9% in the 1st 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. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the 1st quarter valued at $48,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter valued at $82,000. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $18.00.

Insider Activity

In other MDU Resources Group news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.27 per share, for a total transaction of $81,350.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 339,548 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,524,445.96. This trade represents a 1.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.94% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MDU Resources Group Trading Down 0.1%

MDU Resources Group stock traded down $0.0150 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $16.3650. 2,124,166 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,691,893. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.82. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.91 and a 52 week high of $30.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.34 billion, a PE ratio of 15.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.13 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $351.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.67 million. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 8.29% and a net margin of 8.25%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.32 earnings per share. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.880-0.950 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This is an increase from MDU Resources Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.06%.

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.