Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 16,527 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 39.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,184 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 16,527 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $1,048,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the third quarter worth approximately $83,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in MDU Resources Group by 5.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,082,468 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $57,080,000 after buying an additional 101,955 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 464.9% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 149,060 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,086,000 after purchasing an additional 122,671 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 57,472 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,575,000 after buying an additional 3,177 shares during the period. Finally, Westport Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in MDU Resources Group by 200.0% in the third quarter. Westport Asset Management Inc. now owns 15,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $411,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at MDU Resources Group

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU stock opened at $16.86 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.22, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.86 and a 52 week high of $20.39.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on MDU Resources Group in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Company 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.