COMPARE · Data as of August 14, 2026
AEP vs FE
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. AEP scored 63.4, FE scored 62.3 — AEP leads.
Compare another set
Different reporting periods. AEP's fundamentals are as of June 2026, but FE's are as of March 2026 — a 3-month gap. Growth, margin and valuation figures below therefore describe different windows and aren't strictly like-for-like.
AEP
American Electric Power Company, Inc.
63.4
$125.60 · $68.4B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
1.1
AEP leads
FE
FirstEnergy Corp.
62.3
$47.41 · $27.4B
fundamentals as of
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
AEP
stronger →← stronger
FE
47
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
55
84
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
82
64
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
54
AEP is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
AEP
FE
-$2.4bF
FCF
-$1.7bF
+10.9%B
Rev
+11.3%B
1.61C+
D/E
2.01C
3.0xB
P/S
1.8xA-
2.12C
PEG
1.67C+
Winner per row is the stronger grade in our model; a tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Model signals
AEP
Why this score
- Short track record
FE
Why this score
- Durable high returns
The companies
AEPAmerican Electric Power Company, Inc.
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Electric · market cap $68.4b. 11% off the 52-week high of $140.58. Revenue growing +11%, comfortably above the S&P median. 21 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $144.48 (implying +15% upside).
Moat
Net margin 14% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 10% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. $68.4b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$2.4b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk.
FEFirstEnergy Corp.
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Electric · market cap $27.4b. 9% off the 52-week high of $52.34. Revenue growing +11%, comfortably above the S&P median. 13 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $53.08 (implying +12% upside).
Moat
Higher-variance name — the moat signals on the quantitative card are modest, so the durability case rests on execution (turning current growth into durable earnings power) or an un-monetized asset (IP / network effects / first-mover position) rather than an entrenched competitive position.
Risk
D/E 2.01 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Free cash flow is negative (-$1.7b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
AEP leads FE by 1.1 points (63.4 to 62.3), its sharpest advantage coming in D/E (grade C+). A contrarian could still prefer FE for its stronger P/S (grade A-).
Our AI analyst is busy right now, so this verdict is drawn directly from the pillars, grades and DCF above.
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where AEP and FE diverge
On the headline score the gap is 1.1 points in favor of AEP. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- ValueAEP 64.3 · FE 53.6AEP +10.7
- QualityAEP 47.3 · FE 55.2FE +7.9
- GrowthAEP 84.0 · FE 81.6level
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.