COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
AEP vs ES
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. AEP scored 63.3, ES scored 57.8 — AEP leads.
Compare another set
AEP
American Electric Power Company, Inc.
63.3
$120.94 · $65.8B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
5.5
AEP leads
ES
Eversource Energy
57.8
$70.21 · $26.4B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- Fastest growthAEP+10.9%
- Strongest balance sheetAEP1.61
- Highest qualityES52 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
AEP
stronger →← stronger
ES
48
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
52
84
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
73
64
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
51
AEP is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
AEP
ES
-$2.4bF
FCF
$298mC
+10.9%B
Rev
+7.8%B
1.61C+
D/E
1.81C+
2.9xB
P/S
—
2.15C
PEG
2.65C
—
P/E
18.2xB+
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
ES
—
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
336% above
—
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~42%/yr
—
1-yr DCF upside
-78%
—
5-yr DCF upside
-77%
—
10-yr DCF upside
-76%
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
ES
No notable signals flagged.
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.
ESEversource Energy
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Electric · market cap $26.4b. 8% off the 52-week high of $76.57. 12 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $73.58 (implying +5% upside).
Moat
Moat signals from the quantitative card are modest — profitability and capital efficiency are middle-of-pack. The thesis here depends on softer factors (switching costs, brand, distribution, regulatory protection) not captured by the quality-growth screen.
Risk
Dividend payout 80% of earnings on a 4.4% yield — distribution coverage is thin; one earnings stumble could force a dividend cut.
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 ES diverge
On the headline score the gap is 5.5 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 · ES 50.6AEP +13.1
- GrowthAEP 83.9 · ES 73.2AEP +10.7
- QualityAEP 47.6 · ES 52.2ES +4.6
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.