MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. Grows Stock Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,400,575 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 76,264 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. owned 0.69% of MDU Resources Group worth $25,238,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MDU. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 87,022 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,386,000 after acquiring an additional 6,264 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of 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 valued at $2,089,000 after purchasing an additional 34,409 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% in the fourth quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $38,833,000 after purchasing an additional 1,975,200 shares during the last quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $494,000. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 291.8% during 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. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MDU Resources Group Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of MDU stock traded down $0.13 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $17.64. 182,531 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,828,184. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $14.91 and a 52-week high of $30.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.72. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $16.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.57. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.40 EPS 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 company had revenue of $674.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $653.13 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.52 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 12th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.95%. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised MDU Resources Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $21.00.

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.