Northern Trust Corp Has $28.40 Million Stock Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Northern Trust Corp lowered its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,575,902 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 49,912 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 0.77% of MDU Resources Group worth $28,398,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 99.6% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in 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 last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

NYSE MDU opened at $17.36 on Monday. 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 12-month low of $13.23 and a 12-month high of $20.39. The company has a market capitalization of $3.55 billion, a PE ratio of 12.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $16.79 and its 200-day moving average is $17.97.

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

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.00%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.