Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC Trims Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC lowered its holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,690,715 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 137,888 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC owned 2.79% of MDU Resources Group worth $102,547,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $83,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 5.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,082,468 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $57,080,000 after purchasing an additional 101,955 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 464.9% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 149,060 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,086,000 after purchasing an additional 122,671 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 5.9% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 57,472 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,575,000 after purchasing an additional 3,177 shares during the period. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $291,000. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE MDU opened at $16.67 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $17.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.43. 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 $12.99 and a 12-month high of $20.39. The company has a market cap of $3.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. Research analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is 37.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MDU Resources Group news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MDU. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.