John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Reduces Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 415,116 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,750 shares during the period. MDU Resources Group accounts for approximately 1.3% of John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. owned about 0.20% of MDU Resources Group worth $8,219,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in MDU Resources Group by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,677,094 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $592,868,000 after acquiring an additional 218,558 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 19,089,418 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $399,732,000 after acquiring an additional 269,302 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 12.5% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 15,468,160 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $415,454,000 after acquiring an additional 1,716,930 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 48.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,585,707 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $70,208,000 after acquiring an additional 1,174,799 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,048,573 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $92,921,000 after acquiring an additional 78,311 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Up 1.7 %

MDU Resources Group stock traded up $0.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $24.00. 597,042 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,281,542. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $18.04 and a twelve month high of $25.78. The company has a fifty day moving average of $22.79 and a 200-day moving average of $20.44. The company has a market cap of $4.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 8.35% and a return on equity of 8.84%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter. Sell-side analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 13th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of MDU Resources Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd.

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.