Centiva Capital LP Purchases Shares of 143,878 MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Centiva Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 143,878 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,593,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Principal Securities Inc. grew 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 acquiring an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 99.6% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 84.4% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at $54,000. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of MDU Resources Group stock opened at $17.55 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. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.29. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $13.23 and a 1 year high of $20.39. The company has a market capitalization of $3.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.72.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS 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%. Research analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.96%. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

Insider Activity at MDU Resources Group

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 purchase, 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MDU has been the topic of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded 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 assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.