Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. Makes New Investment in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 4,500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $81,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 164.4% during 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 increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 19.4% in the 4th 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, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in MDU Resources Group during the fourth quarter worth $77,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MDU shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One equities 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson purchased 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,997,962.24. The trade was a 19.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MDU opened at $16.67 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $3.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.39. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.99 and a 52 week high of $20.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

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

MDU Resources Group Announces Dividend

The business 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 is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

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.