Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. Trims Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. decreased its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 18.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 41,673 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 9,137 shares during the quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C.’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $751,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 164.4% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 914 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the period. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter valued at $77,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MDU has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the acquisition, 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of MDU opened at $16.68 on Friday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $12.99 and a fifty-two week high of $20.39. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $17.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.52. 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 company has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a PE ratio of 12.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its 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, analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.12%. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is 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.