MSH Capital Advisors LLC Invests $308,000 in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

MSH Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 17,089 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $308,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 32,739 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $896,000 after acquiring an additional 641 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 1.6% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 85,306 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,338,000 after buying an additional 1,353 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 7.8% in the 3rd 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. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,719,543 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $101,978,000 after buying an additional 65,433 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 855,493 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $23,449,000 after acquiring an additional 209,042 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company's stock.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

MDU Resources Group stock traded up $0.36 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $16.76. The company had a trading volume of 169,175 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,497,438. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $13.23 and a 1-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 firm's 50-day simple moving average is $16.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.42 billion, a PE ratio of 12.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. MDU Resources Group's payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

MDU Resources Group Company 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.