Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 16,336 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Natixis Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 28.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 41,848 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 16,336 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $708,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. raised 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 241.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,304 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter valued at $82,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $16.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,470,753 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,490,161. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $14.91 and a 1-year high of $30.52. The stock has a market cap of $3.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.65, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.73. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.87. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.13 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $351.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.67 million. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 8.25% and a return on equity of 8.29%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.32 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, June 12th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio 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.