Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 33.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 233,636 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 58,123 shares during the quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $4,210,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 164.4% in the fourth 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 during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 99.6% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 915 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in MDU Resources Group by 84.4% during the fourth quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,487 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 1,138 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of MDU stock opened at $17.20 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a one year low of $13.23 and a one year high of $20.39. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $16.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $18.70. The company has a market capitalization of $3.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.46, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts expect 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 was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.02%. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is 37.68%.

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.