Stifel Financial Corp Purchases 43,777 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Stifel Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 51.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 129,083 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 43,777 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.06% of MDU Resources Group worth $2,326,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 132.0% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,999,856 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $126,137,000 after purchasing an additional 3,982,783 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 16.6% during the 4th 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 during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,857,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% in the 4th quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $38,833,000 after acquiring an additional 1,975,200 shares during the period. Finally, Pertento Partners LLP boosted its position in 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 worth $53,882,000 after purchasing an additional 1,419,118 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MDU shares. StockNews.com cut shares of MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "hold" rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, MDU Resources Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $21.00.

Insider Activity at MDU Resources Group

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

Shares of MDU stock traded down $0.13 during trading on Thursday, hitting $17.49. The company had a trading volume of 1,970,758 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,465,597. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.72. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a one year low of $13.23 and a one year high of $20.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $16.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.28.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $674.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $653.13 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.52 EPS. The company's revenue was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.