MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Shares Sold by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC lowered its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 68.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 12,665 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 27,332 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $228,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MDU. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 291.8% in the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 51,566 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $930,000 after buying an additional 38,406 shares in the last quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter worth about $494,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% during the fourth quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $38,833,000 after buying an additional 1,975,200 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 42.2% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 115,907 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,089,000 after buying an additional 34,409 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at $778,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MDU opened at $16.97 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $18.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.65. 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 stock has a market cap of $3.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.70, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.80. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $14.91 and a 1-year high of $30.52.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued 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 return on equity of 11.24% and a net margin of 8.92%. On average, research analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on MDU. 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. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America upgraded MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MDU Resources Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.00.

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.