Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Trims Stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC cut its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,111 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,922 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $414,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MDU. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,491,990 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $188,049,000 after purchasing an additional 563,424 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 40.9% in the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 6,048,344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $151,813,000 after purchasing an additional 1,756,530 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in MDU Resources Group by 30.7% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,158,224 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $104,371,000 after buying an additional 977,487 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1.9% in 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 buying an additional 33,982 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 36.6% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,745,980 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $43,824,000 after acquiring an additional 467,465 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MDU Resources Group Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE MDU opened at $17.90 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.65 billion, a PE ratio of 9.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.76. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $25.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.42. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $14.91 and a 52-week high of $30.52.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 11.24% and a net margin of 8.92%. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $969.17 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.29 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MDU. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Siebert Williams Shank raised MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th.

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.