Cerity Partners LLC Takes $702,000 Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 35,432 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $702,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC boosted its position 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 valued at $70,208,000 after purchasing an additional 1,174,799 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 194.3% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,397,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,355,000 after buying an additional 922,403 shares during the period. Sasco Capital Inc. CT increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 50.4% in the third quarter. Sasco Capital Inc. CT now owns 1,548,541 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,320,000 after acquiring an additional 518,820 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 986.4% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 532,361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,424,000 after acquiring an additional 483,358 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 10,823.0% during the third quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 386,783 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,573,000 after acquiring an additional 383,242 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU stock opened at $24.50 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.78. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $18.04 and a 1-year high of $25.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $23.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $20.57.

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

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 14th were paid a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 13th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.