Creative Planning Reduces Holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Creative Planning reduced its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 19,624 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 465 shares during the period. Creative Planning’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $493,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MDU. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $151,813,000 after acquiring an additional 1,756,530 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 977,487 shares during the period. Hood River Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group during the 2nd quarter worth $24,372,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in MDU Resources Group by 8.1% in the second 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. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 36.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,745,980 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,824,000 after buying an additional 467,465 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

MDU stock opened at $28.86 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $18.04 and a 52-week high of $28.92. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $26.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.48.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.11. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 9.25% and a return on equity of 11.29%. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.29 earnings per share. MDU Resources Group’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.58 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 12th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 12th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.80%. This is an increase from MDU Resources Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a report on Saturday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock.

MDU Resources Group 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.