MDU Resources Group (MDU) and Its Competitors Head-To-Head Analysis

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) is one of 52 publicly-traded companies in the “Multi – Utilities” industry, but how does it contrast to its rivals? We will compare MDU Resources Group to similar companies based on the strength of its valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, risk and dividends.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

71.4% of MDU Resources Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 60.7% of shares of all “Multi – Utilities” companies are owned by institutional investors. 0.5% of MDU Resources Group shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 10.1% of shares of all “Multi – Utilities” companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares MDU Resources Group and its rivals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
MDU Resources Group	10.33%	6.68%	2.50%
MDU Resources Group Competitors	8.58%	14.30%	4.07%

Volatility and Risk

MDU Resources Group has a beta of 0.66, meaning that its stock price is 34% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MDU Resources Group’s rivals have a beta of 0.68, meaning that their average stock price is 32% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

MDU Resources Group pays an annual dividend of $0.58 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. MDU Resources Group pays out 62.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, “Multi – Utilities” companies pay a dividend yield of 9.1% and pay out 33.6% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. MDU Resources Group has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years. MDU Resources Group lags its rivals as a dividend stock, given its lower dividend yield and higher payout ratio.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for MDU Resources Group and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
MDU Resources Group	0	4	3	0	2.43
MDU Resources Group Competitors	1055	4122	4438	87	2.37

MDU Resources Group presently has a consensus target price of $23.60, indicating a potential upside of 20.69%. As a group, “Multi – Utilities” companies have a potential upside of 27.79%. Given MDU Resources Group’s rivals higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe MDU Resources Group has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares MDU Resources Group and its rivals top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
MDU Resources Group	$1.88 billion	$190.40 million	21.03
MDU Resources Group Competitors	$16.43 billion	$269.64 million	43.58

MDU Resources Group’s rivals have higher revenue and earnings than MDU Resources Group. MDU Resources Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Summary

MDU Resources Group rivals beat MDU Resources Group on 12 of the 15 factors compared.

About MDU Resources Group

MDU Resources Group is an energy delivery company that provides regulated electric and natural gas service and operates natural gas transmission infrastructure. Its utility businesses serve residential, commercial, industrial and other customers across parts of the northwestern and north-central United States. The company’s service area includes Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Minnesota. Its natural gas pipeline operations transport and store gas, supporting the delivery of energy to customers and communities.