Ancora Advisors LLC Sells 54,372 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Ancora Advisors LLC reduced its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 6.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 745,995 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 54,372 shares during the quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC owned 0.37% of MDU Resources Group worth $13,443,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in MDU Resources Group by 99.6% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $54,000. 71.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the transaction, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.94% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

MDU stock opened at $17.50 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $16.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 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 firm has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.97%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities 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 target price for the company. StockNews.com lowered MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.00.

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.