Head-To-Head Comparison: MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) vs. Just Energy Group (OTCMKTS:JENGQ)

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) and Just Energy Group (OTCMKTS:JENGQ) are both utilities companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability and risk.

Risk & Volatility

MDU Resources Group has a beta of 0.67, meaning that its share price is 33% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Just Energy Group has a beta of 0.36, meaning that its share price is 64% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings for MDU Resources Group and Just Energy Group, 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
Just Energy Group	0	0	0	0	0.00

MDU Resources Group currently has a consensus target price of $23.40, indicating a potential upside of 13.41%. Given MDU Resources Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe MDU Resources Group is more favorable than Just Energy Group.

Profitability

This table compares MDU Resources Group and Just Energy Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
MDU Resources Group	10.75%	6.89%	2.58%
Just Energy Group	6.16%	98.77%	9.12%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

71.4% of MDU Resources Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 28.9% of Just Energy Group shares are held by institutional investors. 0.5% of MDU Resources Group shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares MDU Resources Group and Just Energy Group”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
MDU Resources Group	$1.88 billion	2.25	$190.40 million	$0.95	21.72
Just Energy Group	$2.15 billion	0.00	$678.53 million	$2.84	0.01

Just Energy Group has higher revenue and earnings than MDU Resources Group. Just Energy Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than MDU Resources Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

MDU Resources Group beats Just Energy Group on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

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. The Natural Gas Distribution segment distributes natural gas for residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming; and supplies related value-added services. The Pipeline segment provides natural gas transportation and underground storage services through a regulated pipeline system primarily in the Rocky Mountain and northern Great Plains regions; and cathodic protection and other energy-related services. The Construction Services segment offers electrical and mechanical contracting services, including the construction and maintenance of electrical and communication wiring and infrastructure, fire suppression systems, mechanical piping, and services; transmission and distribution contracting services, comprise construction and maintenance of overhead and underground electrical, and gas and communication infrastructure; and manufactures and supplies transmission and distribution lines construction equipment and tools. It serves manufacturing, commercial, industrial, transportation, institutional, and renewable and government customers, as well as utilities. MDU Resources Group, Inc. was incorporated in 1924 and is headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota.

About Just Energy Group

Just Energy Group Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides electricity and natural gas commodities in the United States and Canada. It operates through two segments, The Mass Market and The Commercial. The company offers fixed, variable, index and flat rate commodity products, as well as Just Green products; smart thermostats; and subscription-based home water filtration systems, including under-counter and whole-home water filtration solution, as well as sustainable carbon emissions solutions. It offers energy solutions under the Just Energy, Tara Energy, Amigo Energy, and terrapass brands. The company serves residential and commercial customers through brokers, door-to-door commercial independent contractors, and inside commercial sales representatives. Just Energy Group Inc. was founded in 1997 and is based in Toronto, Canada.