Which Is a Better Investment, MDU Resources Group, Inc. or Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. Stock?

By Jenna Brashear
August 01, 2026
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Sifting through countless of stocks in the Gas Utilities industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings and Inc.

MDU Resources Group, Inc. engages in the regulated energy delivery businesses in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Electric, Natural Gas Distribution, and Pipeline. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming through approximately 3,400 miles of transmission and 4,900 miles of distribution lines, as well as 86 transmission and 299 distribution substations. The company also distributes natural gas in Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming through approximately 22,000 miles of distribution and 540 miles transmission systems; and supplies related value-added services. In addition, it 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 non-regulated energy-related services. Further, the company offers transportation and storage services. MDU Resources Group, Inc. was incorporated in 1924 and is headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiary, Southwest Gas Corporation, purchases, distributes, and transports natural gas for residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Arizona, Nevada, and California in the United States. The company offers tariff sales and transportation services. It also operates a pipeline transmission system, including an LNG storage facility. As of December 31, 2025, the company served approximately 2,281,000 customers with 1,224,000 in Arizona, 849,000 in Nevada, and 208,000 in California. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1931 and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Latest Gas Utilities and MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. Stock News

As of July 31, 2026, MDU Resources Group, Inc. had a $4.2 billion market capitalization, compared to the Gas Utilities median of $5.0 million. MDU Resources Group, Inc.’s stock is up 2.2% in 2026, down 6.1% in the previous five trading days and up 17.15% in the past year.

Currently, MDU Resources Group, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 21.6. MDU Resources Group, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.8 billion with a 10.5% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -10.2%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $0.975 per share for the current fiscal year. MDU Resources Group, Inc. currently has a 2.8% dividend yield.

As of July 31, 2026, Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. had a $6.5 billion market cap, putting it in the 71st percentile of all stocks. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc.’s stock is up 11.7% in 2026, down 3.9% in the previous five trading days and up 14.25% in the past year.

Currently, Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 27.1. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.8 billion with a 26.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -21.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.225 per share for the current fiscal year. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. currently has a 2.8% dividend yield.

How We Compare MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings and Inc. Stock Value Grades

Company Ticker Value
MDU Resources Group, Inc. MDU C
Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. SWX C

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a Value Score of 57, which is Average. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a Value Score of 47, which is Average.

The Value Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings or Inc. has a high enough value grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolio. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to value.

MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings and Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company Ticker Momentum
MDU Resources Group, Inc. MDU C
Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. SWX C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 42, which is Average. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 46, which is Average.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings or Inc. has a strong enough Momentum Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
MDU Resources Group, Inc. MDU D
Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. SWX C

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 34, which is Negative. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 41, which is Neutral.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings or Inc. has an Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade that could be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to estimate revisions.

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Other MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings and Inc. Grades

In addition to Estimate Revisions, Value and Momentum, A+ Investor also provides grades for Growth and Quality.

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Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings or Inc. Stock?

Overall, MDU Resources Group, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 57, Momentum Score of 42 and Estimate Revisions Score of 34.

Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 47, Momentum Score of 46 and Estimate Revisions Score of 41.

Comparing MDU Resources Group, Inc., Southwest Gas Holdings and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Learn More About A+ Investor

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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