Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Buys 24,134 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC grew its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 308.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,960 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 24,134 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC's holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $576,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 164.4% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 99.6% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 84.4% in the fourth 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. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at $54,000. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

MDU stock traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $17.19. 918,381 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,442,663. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $13.23 and a fifty-two week high of $20.39. The stock has a market cap of $3.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.46, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.72. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $16.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.04. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. The company had revenue of $674.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $653.13 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.52 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.03%. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is currently 40.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.