Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC Invests $12.36 Million in MDU Resources Group, Inc. $MDU

Key Points

• Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC has acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group, purchasing 730,960 shares valued at approximately $12.36 million, representing 0.36% ownership of the company.
• The company recently declared an increased quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, up from $0.13, resulting in an annualized dividend of $0.56 with a yield of 3.4%.
• MDU Resources Group's CFO, Jason L. Vollmer, bought 5,000 shares at an average price of $16.27 each, increasing his ownership by 1.49% to a total of 339,548 shares valued at approximately $5.52 million.

Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 730,960 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $12,361,000. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC owned 0.36% of MDU Resources Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 179.0% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,518 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 974 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 241.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,304 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the first quarter worth $48,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter worth $54,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter worth $82,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer acquired 5,000 shares of MDU Resources Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.27 per share, for a total transaction of $81,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 339,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,524,445.96. This trade represents a 1.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $16.42. 1,474,409 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,695,456. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.91 and a fifty-two week high of $30.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.73. The business's 50 day moving average is $16.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.71 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 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.13 by ($0.06). MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 8.29% and a net margin of 8.25%.The business had revenue of $351.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.67 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.32 EPS. MDU Resources Group's quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.880-0.950 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, September 11th will be given a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 11th. This is an increase from MDU Resources Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is 52.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.