It has been about a month since the last earnings report for MDU Resources (MDU Quick QuoteMDU - Free Report) . Shares have added about 9.7% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500.

Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is MDU Resources due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts.

MDU Resources Q4 Earnings & Revenues Increase Y/Y

MDU Resources reported fourth-quarter 2020 operating earnings of 56 cents per share, which increased 19.1% from the year-ago level. This upside was led by a strong performance of its construction companies and regulated energy business.

Total Revenues

Total revenues came in at $1,385.2 million, up 0.5% from $1,378.2 million in the year-ago quarter.

Operating revenues in the electric, natural gas distribution and regulated pipeline declined 3.8% from the prior-year quarter to $379 million. Revenues in non-regulated pipeline, construction materials and contracting, construction services and other segments increased 2.2% from the year-ago quarter to $1,006.2 million.

Highlights of the Release

For the quarter under review, operating expenses of $1,239.3 million decreased 0.7% from the prior-year period’s $1,248 million.

Operating income was $145.9 million, up 12.1% year over year.

The company’s interest expenses of $23.4 million were down 4.5% from $24.5 million in the prior-year quarter.

As of Dec 31, 2020, the construction services business had a backlog of $1.27 billion, up from $1.14 billion as of Dec 31, 2019.

As of Dec 31, 2020, the construction materials business had a backlog of $673 million, down from $693 million as of Dec 31, 2019.

Financial Highlights

Cash and cash equivalents as of Dec 31, 2020 were $59.6 million compared with $66.5 million at 2019 end.

Total debt amounted to $2,263 million as of Dec 31, 2020 compared with $2,243 million on Dec 31, 2019.

The company’s net cash provided by operating activities in 2020 was $768.4 million compared with $542.3 million in 2019.

Guidance

MDU Resources issued its 2021 earnings per share guidance of $1.95-$2.15. This estimation is based on several assumptions, worth mentioning are normal weather and continued customer growth of electric and natural gas at 1-2% rate annually. Moreover, it anticipates investing $826 million in the ongoing year and a further $3,048 million during the 2021-2025 forecast period.

How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?

Analysts were quiet during the last two month period as none of them issued any earnings estimate revisions.