JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has $8.86 Million Stock Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 42.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 491,721 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 363,772 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 0.24% of MDU Resources Group worth $8,861,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $778,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 42.2% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 115,907 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,089,000 after acquiring an additional 34,409 shares in the last quarter. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in MDU Resources Group by 21.3% during the 4th quarter. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 81,626 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,471,000 after acquiring an additional 14,360 shares during the period. Advisors Preferred LLC bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter worth $5,691,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,719,543 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $101,978,000 after purchasing an additional 65,433 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 180,166 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. This represents a 19.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "hold" rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MDU traded up $0.03 during trading on Friday, hitting $16.78. The company had a trading volume of 967,855 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,513,024. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $13.23 and a 52 week high of $20.39. The business's 50-day moving average is $16.70 and its 200 day moving average is $19.18. The company has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.16, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. Equities research analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

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.