NBC Securities Inc. Buys 17,130 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

NBC Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 107,062.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,146 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 17,130 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc.'s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $289,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 132.0% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,999,856 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $126,137,000 after buying an additional 3,982,783 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 16.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,997,452 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $414,414,000 after acquiring an additional 3,276,114 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,857,000. Pertento Partners LLP raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 90.3% during the fourth quarter. Pertento Partners LLP now owns 2,990,144 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $53,882,000 after acquiring an additional 1,419,118 shares during the period. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 300.1% in the 4th quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 691,993 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $12,470,000 after acquiring an additional 519,029 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE:MDU traded up $0.04 on Monday, hitting $16.84. 1,578,103 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,420,600. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $16.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.49. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $13.23 and a 1 year high of $20.39. The company has a market cap of $3.44 billion, a PE ratio of 12.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.04. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The company had revenue of $674.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $653.13 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, June 12th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.09%. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is 40.31%.

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.