Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC Trims Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC reduced its holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,116,940 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 17,914 shares during the period. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $38,147,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MDU. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 915 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 84.4% during the 4th 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 period. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at MDU Resources Group

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. This represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One equities research 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 0.7 %

MDU Resources Group stock opened at $17.49 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $16.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company has a market cap of $3.57 billion, a PE ratio of 12.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.72. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $13.23 and a 1-year high of $20.39.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $674.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $653.13 million. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.52 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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.