雅虎香港財經 Are Utilities Stocks Lagging MDU Resources Group (MDU) This Year?
The Utilities group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has MDU Resources (MDU) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
MDU Resources is one of 106 individual stocks in the Utilities sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #13 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.
The Zacks Rank emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. MDU Resources is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MDU's full-year earnings has moved 4.4% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.
Based on the latest available data, MDU has gained about 28.9% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Utilities group have lost about 1.7% on average. As we can see, MDU Resources is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.
One other Utilities stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is National Grid (NGG). The stock is up 4.7% year-to-date.
In National Grid's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 9.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
To break things down more, MDU Resources belongs to the Utility - Gas Distribution industry, a group that includes 14 individual companies and currently sits at #100 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 4.2% so far this year, so MDU is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.
On the other hand, National Grid belongs to the Utility - Electric Power industry. This 59-stock industry is currently ranked #96. The industry has moved -3.3% year to date.
Investors interested in the Utilities sector may want to keep a close eye on MDU Resources and National Grid as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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MDU Resources Group, Inc. (MDU) : Free Stock Analysis Report
National Grid Transco, PLC (NGG) : Free Stock Analysis Report
