Cerity Partners LLC Acquires 92,587 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 182.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 143,467 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 92,587 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC owned approximately 0.07% of MDU Resources Group worth $2,426,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake 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 valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 974 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 241.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,304 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 84.4% during the 4th quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,487 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 1,138 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter valued at $77,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

MDU stock traded down $0.18 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $17.02. The company had a trading volume of 1,032,192 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,335,869. The company has a market capitalization of $3.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.70. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $13.23 and a 12-month high of $20.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $16.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.99.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $674.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $653.13 million. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 9.86%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.52 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note 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.