Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd Acquires New Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 20,323 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $366,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in MDU Resources Group by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in MDU Resources Group by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 32,739 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $896,000 after acquiring an additional 641 shares in the last quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC grew its position in MDU Resources Group by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC now owns 39,335 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,078,000 after acquiring an additional 850 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in MDU Resources Group by 164.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU Resources Group stock opened at $16.79 on Friday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a one year low of $12.71 and a one year high of $20.39. The company has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a PE ratio of 12.16, a P/E/G 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.74.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MDU has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com downgraded MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

Insider Activity at MDU Resources Group

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.59% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.