126,851 Shares in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Purchased by DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main

DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main purchased a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 126,851 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,286,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main owned approximately 0.06% of MDU Resources Group at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MDU. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 87,022 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,386,000 after purchasing an additional 6,264 shares during the period. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter worth about $778,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 42.2% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 115,907 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,089,000 after acquiring an additional 34,409 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% during the 4th quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $38,833,000 after acquiring an additional 1,975,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $494,000. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of MDU Resources Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded 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 assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE MDU opened at $17.36 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $13.23 and a 52-week high of $20.39.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.04. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. The company had revenue of $674.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $653.13 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.52 EPS. MDU Resources Group’s revenue was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

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.