Exelon (EXC) Competitors

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) and Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) are both large-cap utilities companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation and media sentiment.

Does the media prefer AEP or EXC?

In the previous week, American Electric Power had 16 more articles in the media than Exelon. MarketBeat recorded 31 mentions for American Electric Power and 15 mentions for Exelon. American Electric Power's average media sentiment score of 1.21 beat Exelon's score of 1.10 indicating that American Electric Power is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
American Electric Power	23 Very Positive mention(s)	5 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Exelon	12 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has higher earnings and valuation, AEP or EXC?

American Electric Power has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Exelon. Exelon is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than American Electric Power, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
American Electric Power	$19.72B	2.80	$2.97B	$5.19	19.92
Exelon	$23.03B	1.90	$2.46B	$2.69	16.08

Do analysts recommend AEP or EXC?

American Electric Power presently has a consensus target price of $108.31, indicating a potential upside of 4.74%. Exelon has a consensus target price of $47.40, indicating a potential upside of 9.60%. Given Exelon's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Exelon is more favorable than American Electric Power.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
American Electric Power	1 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.31
Exelon	1 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.30

Is AEP or EXC a better dividend stock?

American Electric Power pays an annual dividend of $3.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. Exelon pays an annual dividend of $1.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.7%. American Electric Power pays out 71.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Exelon pays out 59.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. American Electric Power has increased its dividend for 15 consecutive years and Exelon has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years. Exelon is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Which has more risk and volatility, AEP or EXC?

American Electric Power has a beta of 0.42, suggesting that its share price is 58% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Exelon has a beta of 0.39, suggesting that its share price is 61% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is AEP or EXC more profitable?

American Electric Power has a net margin of 13.73% compared to Exelon's net margin of 11.44%. American Electric Power's return on equity of 11.68% beat Exelon's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
American Electric Power	13.73%	11.68%	3.08%
Exelon	11.44%	10.29%	2.58%

Do insiders & institutionals believe in AEP or EXC?

75.2% of American Electric Power shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 80.9% of Exelon shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of American Electric Power shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Exelon shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

American Electric Power beats Exelon on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.