Cladis Investment Advisory LLC Lowers Stock Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Cladis Investment Advisory LLC cut its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 74,924 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,299 shares during the quarter. MDU Resources Group makes up about 1.4% of Cladis Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Cladis Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $2,054,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in MDU Resources Group during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 158.9% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 23.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,142 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on MDU. Bank of America raised MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MDU opened at $20.04 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $24.15 and a 200-day moving average of $24.93. 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.91 and a fifty-two week high of $30.52.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 11.24% and a net margin of 8.92%. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $969.17 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 12th. MDU Resources Group’s 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.