John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Sells 2,750 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. lowered its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 415,116 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,750 shares during the period. MDU Resources Group accounts for 1.3% of John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $8,219,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MDU. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the 1st quarter valued at $124,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 21.3% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 20,101 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $536,000 after buying an additional 3,523 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 119.7% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 67,933 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,811,000 after buying an additional 37,018 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in MDU Resources Group during the 1st quarter worth $771,000. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 33.4% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 131,476 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,504,000 after buying an additional 32,930 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

Shares of MDU traded up $0.40 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $24.00. 597,042 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,281,542. The company has a market cap of $4.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.78. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $18.04 and a fifty-two week high of $25.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $22.79 and its 200 day moving average is $20.44.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 8.84% and a net margin of 8.35%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 14th were paid a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.