MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Holdings Lifted by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 380,990 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $6,865,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 19,025 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $343,000 after acquiring an additional 2,315 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 40.9% during the fourth quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,334,820 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $24,053,000 after purchasing an additional 387,173 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 18.8% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 38,903 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $701,000 after purchasing an additional 6,164 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its position in MDU Resources Group by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 43,362 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $781,000 after buying an additional 2,164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in MDU Resources Group by 42.0% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 67,319 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,213,000 after buying an additional 19,895 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MDU opened at $16.79 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $17.24 and a 200-day moving average of $20.71. The firm has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. 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 twelve month low of $12.74 and a twelve month high of $20.39.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is 37.68%.

Insider Activity at MDU Resources Group

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of MDU Resources Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $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 SEC, which is available at this link. 0.59% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MDU shares. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MDU Resources Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.00.

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.