John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Sells 3,827 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. reduced its holdings in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 402,782 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,827 shares during the quarter. MDU Resources Group makes up approximately 1.6% of John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $11,040,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group in the third quarter worth $25,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in 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 valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.2 %

MDU opened at $18.78 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.24. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.91 and a fifty-two week high of $30.52. The company has a market cap of $3.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 11.24%. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $969.17 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.29 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 12th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.