MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Shares Acquired by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,082,468 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 101,955 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 1.02% of MDU Resources Group worth $57,080,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 40.9% during 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 during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 30.7% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,158,224 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $104,371,000 after buying an additional 977,487 shares during the last quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $24,372,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 563,424 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 36.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,745,980 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,824,000 after acquiring an additional 467,465 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MDU shares. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded 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. Bank of America upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. They set a “hold” rating for the company.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

MDU opened at $20.04 on Friday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $14.91 and a twelve month high of $30.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market cap of $4.09 billion, a PE ratio of 10.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.76. The business’s 50 day moving average is $24.15 and its 200-day moving average is $24.93.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $969.17 million. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 11.24% and a net margin of 8.92%. MDU Resources Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.29 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 12th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is 26.67%.

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.