Investors focused on the Utilities space have likely heard of MDU Resources Group (MDU), but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
MDU Resources Group is a member of our Utilities group, which includes 119 different companies and currently sits at #6 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.
The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. MDU is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MDU's full-year earnings has moved 9.38% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Based on the latest available data, MDU has gained about 6.46% so far this year. At the same time, Utilities stocks have gained an average of 5.72%. This means that MDU Resources Group is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
Looking more specifically, MDU belongs to the Utility - Gas Distribution industry, which includes 17 individual stocks and currently sits at #78 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 2.60% this year, meaning that MDU is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
MDU will likely be looking to continue its solid performance, so investors interested in Utilities stocks should continue to pay close attention to the company.
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