Cerity Partners LLC Has $2.43 Million Stock Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 182.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 143,467 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 92,587 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC owned approximately 0.07% of MDU Resources Group worth $2,426,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 179.0% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,518 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 241.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,304 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 84.4% during the 4th quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,487 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $77,000. 71.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised MDU Resources Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of MDU stock opened at $17.02 on Friday. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $13.23 and a 1-year high of $20.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $16.77 and a 200-day moving average of $17.00. The stock has a market cap of $3.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.19, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.70.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $674.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $653.13 million. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 9.86% and a net margin of 7.93%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.52 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 12th were paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is presently 40.31%.

About MDU Resources Group

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.