14,800 Shares in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 14,800 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $293,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MDU. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 50.1% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,265 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 756 shares during the period. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Tompkins Financial Corp raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 89.7% in the fourth quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 3,604 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 1,704 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $178,000. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $182,000. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

MDU Resources Group stock opened at $24.67 on Friday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $18.04 and a 12 month high of $25.78. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $23.25 and its 200-day moving average is $20.67. 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 company has a market capitalization of $5.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.09, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.78.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 8.84% and a net margin of 8.35%. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter. Equities research 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 given a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.51%.

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.