Entropy Technologies LP Takes $628,000 Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 34,850 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $628,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MDU. Advisors Preferred LLC bought a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter worth $5,691,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 391.3% during the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 115,874 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,088,000 after buying an additional 92,289 shares during the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 80,956 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,459,000 after buying an additional 2,564 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake 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 valued at $1,471,000 after acquiring an additional 14,360 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on MDU shares. Bank of America upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 target price for the company. Siebert Williams Shank raised MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. The trade was 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 accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MDU opened at $16.98 on Wednesday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.91 and a 12-month high of $30.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $18.19 and a 200 day moving average of $22.41.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.95 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th were paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 12th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.