Natixis Raises Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Natixis lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 15,984.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 260,089 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 258,472 shares during the quarter. Natixis owned 0.13% of MDU Resources Group worth $4,687,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 99.6% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of MDU Resources Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.94% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of 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. StockNews.com cut MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

NYSE MDU opened at $16.42 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $16.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.10. The company has a market capitalization of $3.36 billion, a PE ratio of 11.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. 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 current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released 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%. As a group, analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.