ING Groep NV Sells 18,892 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

ING Groep NV cut its stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 7.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 238,108 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 18,892 shares during the period. ING Groep NV owned approximately 0.12% of MDU Resources Group worth $4,291,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MDU. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 238.1% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,935 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 2,067 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 66,691 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,828,000 after purchasing an additional 1,628 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust raised its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 10,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $281,000 after buying an additional 890 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,234,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 23,585 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $646,000 after buying an additional 1,605 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of MDU Resources Group stock opened at $16.64 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.92. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.91 and a 12-month high of $30.52.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. Research analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MDU shares. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.