American Century Companies Inc. Has $51.75 Million Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. $MDU

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. reduced its stake in MDU Resources Group by 29.2%, owning approximately 3.06 million shares, valued at about $51.7 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• MDU Resources Group announced a dividend increase to $0.14 per share, with a record date set for September 11th, representing an annualized yield of 3.4%.
• MDU's stock recently reported a quarterly earnings miss with $0.07 earnings per share, below the consensus estimate of $0.13, despite revenue exceeding expectations at $351.2 million.

American Century Companies Inc. cut its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 29.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,060,247 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 1,260,515 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 1.50% of MDU Resources Group worth $51,749,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MDU. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,405,598 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $395,789,000 after acquiring an additional 408,146 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,450,566 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $142,894,000 after purchasing an additional 263,572 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 30.1% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,124,863 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $52,841,000 after purchasing an additional 723,560 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,329,538 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $39,392,000 after purchasing an additional 150,181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 7.7% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,276,045 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $38,533,000 after purchasing an additional 162,026 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at MDU Resources Group

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MDU traded down $0.3250 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $16.3550. 1,419,535 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,711,092. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.73. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $16.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.80. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $14.91 and a 12 month high of $30.52.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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). 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.67 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.32 earnings per share. The business'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 forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

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