Amundi Purchases Shares of 155,016 MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Amundi purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 155,016 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,798,000. Amundi owned about 0.08% of MDU Resources Group at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Foundry Partners LLC acquired a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $4,594,000. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter valued at $778,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in MDU Resources Group by 42.2% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 115,907 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,089,000 after buying an additional 34,409 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,082,468 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $57,080,000 after acquiring an additional 101,955 shares during the period. Finally, Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 21.3% in the 4th quarter. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 81,626 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,471,000 after acquiring an additional 14,360 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU stock opened at $16.89 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.24, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.98. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.30 and a 52 week high of $20.39.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. On average, sell-side analysts predict 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors 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 3.08%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is 37.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MDU shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.