COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
AEP vs TLN
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. AEP scored 63.3, TLN scored 54.4 — AEP leads.
Compare another set
AEP
American Electric Power Company, Inc.
63.3
$120.94 · $65.8B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
8.9
AEP leads
TLN
Talen Energy Corporation
54.4
$314.46 · $15.1B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestAEP2.9x
- Fastest growthTLN+108.9%
- Strongest balance sheetAEP1.61
- Highest qualityAEP48 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/S multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
AEP
stronger →← stronger
TLN
48
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
27
84
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
68
64
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
87
AEP is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
AEP
TLN
-$2.4bF
FCF
$568mC+
+10.9%B
Rev
+108.9%A
1.61C+
D/E
5.84D
2.9xB
P/S
3.8xC
2.15C
PEG
—
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
AEP
TLN
—
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
75% above
—
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~31%/yr
—
1-yr DCF upside
-56%
—
5-yr DCF upside
-43%
—
10-yr DCF upside
-18%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
AEP
Why this score
- Short track record
TLN
Why this score
- Diluting shareholders
The companies
AEPAmerican Electric Power Company, Inc.
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Electric · market cap $65.8b. 14% off the 52-week high of $140.58. Revenue growing +11%, comfortably above the S&P median. 20 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $144.20 (implying +19% 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. $65.8b 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.
TLNTalen Energy Corporation
Why now
Utilities - Independent Power Producers · market cap $15.1b. Down 30% from 52-week high of $451.28 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +109% — in hypergrowth territory. 16 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $465.50 (implying +48% upside).
Moat
Turnaround / out-of-favor name — GAAP-unprofitable for now, so the durability case is forward-looking: it rests on a recovery (margin normalization, a cyclical upturn or restructuring) or an un-monetized asset (IP / network effects / first-mover position) rather than on current reported results.
Risk
D/E 5.84 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Currently unprofitable (margin -5.6%) — path to GAAP profitability is the core thesis risk. Down 30% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
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 TLN diverge
On the headline score the gap is 8.9 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 63.7 · TLN 87.0TLN +23.3
- QualityAEP 47.6 · TLN 27.2AEP +20.4
- GrowthAEP 83.9 · TLN 68.1AEP +15.8
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.