MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Shares Sold by City Holding Co.

City Holding Co. cut its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 10.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,130 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 575 shares during the quarter. City Holding Co.’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $92,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp grew its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,344,185 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $174,713,000 after acquiring an additional 114,719 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 1.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,719,543 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $101,978,000 after buying an additional 65,433 shares during the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% in the fourth quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,833,000 after buying an additional 1,975,200 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,082,468 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $57,080,000 after buying an additional 101,955 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,782,538 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,859,000 after acquiring an additional 33,982 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 $18.34 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $18.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.26. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $14.91 and a 12 month high of $30.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.41, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.81. 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 (NYSE:MDU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 11.24%. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $969.17 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.29 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 12th were paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.83%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MDU shares. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Bank of America raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” 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.