Westport Asset Management Inc. Purchases 20,000 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Westport Asset Management Inc. increased its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 133.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 20,000 shares during the quarter. Westport Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $631,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 7.8% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 87,022 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,386,000 after buying an additional 6,264 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 42.2% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 115,907 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,089,000 after buying an additional 34,409 shares during the last quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter worth $494,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 291.8% in the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 51,566 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $930,000 after buying an additional 38,406 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 48.3% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 22,276 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 7,257 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:MDU traded up $0.17 on Friday, hitting $17.06. 890,615 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,448,782. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $13.23 and a 12 month high of $20.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.72. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $16.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last released 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 business had revenue of $674.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $653.13 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.52 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, June 12th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.05%. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is currently 40.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.