COMPARE · Data as of August 24, 2026
AEP vs NJR
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. AEP scored 63.3, NJR scored 63.9 — NJR leads.
Compare another set
AEP
American Electric Power Company, Inc.
63.3
$120.94 · $65.8B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
0.6
NJR leads
NJR
New Jersey Resources Corporation
63.9
$53.74 · $5.5B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- Fastest growthAEP+10.9%
- Strongest balance sheetNJR1.47
- Highest qualityNJR77 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valueNJR-25%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
AEP
stronger →← stronger
NJR
48
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
77
84
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
48
64
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
70
NJR is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
AEP
NJR
-$2.4bF
FCF
$359mC
+10.9%B
Rev
+7.0%C+
1.61C+
D/E
1.47B
2.9xB
P/S
—
2.15C
PEG
2.07C
—
P/E
14.9xA-
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
NJR
—
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
25% below
—
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~-7%/yr
—
1-yr DCF upside
+45%
—
5-yr DCF upside
+34%
—
10-yr DCF upside
+19%
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
NJR
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
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.
NJRNew Jersey Resources Corporation
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Gas · market cap $5.5b. 12% off the 52-week high of $60.86. 7 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $60.00 (implying +12% upside).
Moat
Net margin 24% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close. ROE 14% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. FCF converts 98% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Commodity exposure — earnings power tracks the price of the underlying commodity, not management execution. A 15-20% move in the commodity reprices the equity well before fundamentals catch up.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
AEP leads NJR by 3 points (66.9 to 63.9), its sharpest advantage coming in FCF (grade B). A contrarian could still prefer NJR, which trades about 26% below our DCF fair value — a margin of safety the score doesn't reward. Note they play different roles — AEP screens as growth, NJR screens as value — so the model rewards different traits for each.
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 NJR diverge
On the headline score the gap is 0.6 points in favor of NJR. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- GrowthAEP 83.9 · NJR 48.4AEP +35.5
- QualityAEP 47.6 · NJR 76.7NJR +29.1
- ValueAEP 63.7 · NJR 70.3NJR +6.6
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.