Gladius Capital Management LP Sells 550 Shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Gladius Capital Management LP cut its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 19.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,240 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 550 shares during the quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $44,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 48.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,585,707 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $70,208,000 after acquiring an additional 1,174,799 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 49.6% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,931,590 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $58,045,000 after buying an additional 972,540 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in MDU Resources Group by 194.3% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,397,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,355,000 after buying an additional 922,403 shares during the period. Sasco Capital Inc. CT lifted its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 50.4% during the third quarter. Sasco Capital Inc. CT now owns 1,548,541 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,320,000 after buying an additional 518,820 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 986.4% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 532,361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,424,000 after acquiring an additional 483,358 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Performance

Shares of MDU traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $25.55. 1,201,976 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,260,164. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 1.43. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $23.96 and its 200 day moving average is $21.04. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $18.04 and a 1-year high of $25.78. The stock has a market cap of $5.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.78.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.05. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 11.42% and a net margin of 10.74%. The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.23 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 14th were given a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 13th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.96%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of MDU Resources Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MDU Resources Group news, insider Rob L. Johnson acquired 36,291 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $25.46 per share, for a total transaction of $923,968.86. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 41,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,067,639.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.