Teacher Retirement System of Texas Has $1.64 Million Stock Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 42.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 90,870 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 26,896 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $1,637,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 164.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in MDU Resources Group by 99.6% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group during the third quarter valued at $82,000. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $16.64 per share, for a total transaction of $499,200.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 0.6 %

MDU opened at $16.68 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a PE ratio of 12.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $12.99 and a fifty-two week high of $20.39. The business has a 50-day moving average of $17.15 and a 200-day moving average of $20.52.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. Equities research analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on MDU. StockNews.com lowered MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

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.