Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Purchases 2,019 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 13.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,130 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,019 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $311,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 2.0% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 32,739 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $896,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 158.9% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares during the period. Ingalls & Snyder LLC raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 2.2% in the third quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC now owns 39,335 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,078,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 164.4% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of MDU Resources Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. This trade represents a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 1.3 %

MDU opened at $16.66 on Wednesday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.91 and a fifty-two week high of $30.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $17.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.15. The company has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note 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 issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.