Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC Acquires 47,611 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC raised its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 988,214 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 47,611 shares during the quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC owned approximately 0.48% of MDU Resources Group worth $17,808,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 164.4% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in MDU Resources Group by 99.6% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in MDU Resources Group by 84.4% in the fourth quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,487 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter worth about $54,000. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE MDU traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $17.61. The stock had a trading volume of 1,082,144 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,460,132. The company has a market capitalization of $3.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.72. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $16.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.57. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $13.23 and a 52 week 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.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $674.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $653.13 million. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. Analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.00.

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.