Federated Hermes Inc. Sells 9,019 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Federated Hermes Inc. reduced its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 35.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,484 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 9,019 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $326,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $958,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in MDU Resources Group by 986.4% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 532,361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,424,000 after buying an additional 483,358 shares in the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC increased its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 248.4% in the 4th quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 56,077 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,110,000 after buying an additional 39,980 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 49.6% during the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,931,590 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $58,045,000 after buying an additional 972,540 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 48.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,585,707 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $70,208,000 after acquiring an additional 1,174,799 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of MDU opened at $25.06 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.19.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 11.61%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.23 EPS. On average, analysts forecast 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 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. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 13th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is 21.37%.

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.