MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Shares Sold by Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC

Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,690,715 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 137,888 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $102,547,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter worth about $778,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 42.2% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 115,907 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,089,000 after purchasing an additional 34,409 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,082,468 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $57,080,000 after purchasing an additional 101,955 shares during the last quarter. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in MDU Resources Group by 21.3% during the 4th quarter. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 81,626 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,471,000 after purchasing an additional 14,360 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in MDU Resources Group by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 855,493 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $23,449,000 after buying an additional 209,042 shares during the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,997,962.24. This represents a 19.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

Shares of MDU opened at $16.67 on Friday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a one year low of $12.99 and a one year high of $20.39. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $17.11 and its 200-day moving average is $20.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on MDU. StockNews.com cut MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price objective on the stock. One research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, MDU Resources Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.00.

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.