WINTON GROUP Ltd Increases Stock Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

WINTON GROUP Ltd grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 133.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 58,059 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,213 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $1,046,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 164.4% in 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 grew its stake 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 worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 570 shares during the period. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at $77,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

MDU Resources Group stock opened at $16.67 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.99 and a 12-month high of $20.39.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. Equities analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.12%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

Insider Transactions at MDU Resources Group

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. This represents a 19.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set 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 issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

About MDU Resources Group

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.