Energy Fuels (NYSE:UUUU) and MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) Head to Head Contrast

Energy Fuels (NYSE:UUUU) and MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, institutional ownership, profitability and earnings.

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Energy Fuels	-90.40%	-9.16%	-8.67%
MDU Resources Group	8.92%	11.24%	4.23%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Energy Fuels and MDU Resources Group”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Energy Fuels	$38.66 million	27.21	$99.86 million	($0.22)	-24.32
MDU Resources Group	$4.45 billion	0.84	$414.71 million	$1.95	9.36

MDU Resources Group has higher revenue and earnings than Energy Fuels. Energy Fuels 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.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

48.2% of Energy Fuels shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 71.4% of MDU Resources Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.9% of Energy Fuels shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of MDU Resources Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk & Volatility

Energy Fuels has a beta of 1.64, suggesting that its stock price is 64% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MDU Resources Group has a beta of 0.79, suggesting that its stock price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Energy Fuels and MDU Resources Group, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Energy Fuels	0	2	2	0	2.50
MDU Resources Group	0	0	3	0	3.00

Energy Fuels presently has a consensus target price of $8.50, suggesting a potential upside of 58.88%. MDU Resources Group has a consensus target price of $22.00, suggesting a potential upside of 20.55%. Given Energy Fuels’ higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Energy Fuels is more favorable than MDU Resources Group.

Summary

MDU Resources Group beats Energy Fuels on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Energy Fuels

Energy Fuels Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the extraction, recovery, recycling, exploration, permitting, evaluation, and sale of uranium mineral properties in the United States. The company produces and sells vanadium pentoxide, rare earth elements, and heavy mineral sands, such as ilmenite, rutile, zircon, and monazite. The company was formerly known as Volcanic Metals Exploration Inc. and changed its name to Energy Fuels Inc. in May 2006. Energy Fuels Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado.

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.