River Road Asset Management LLC Purchases 972,540 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

River Road Asset Management LLC raised its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 49.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,931,590 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 972,540 shares during the quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $58,045,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Belpointe Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 59.7% in the first quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 1,070 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Money Concepts Capital Corp bought a new position in MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 71.0% in the fourth quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in MDU Resources Group in the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 22.5% in the first quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,909 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

MDU traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $23.56. The company had a trading volume of 1,506,828 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,295,272. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $22.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.39. The company has a market cap of $4.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 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.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter. The business 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict 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 announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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 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.