Analyzing Talen Energy (OTCMKTS:TLNE) and Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR)

Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR) and Talen Energy (OTCMKTS:TLNE) are both mid-cap utilities companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation and profitability.

Profitability

This table compares Portland General Electric and Talen Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Portland General Electric	9.24%	9.15%	2.76%
Talen Energy	N/A	1.87%	0.67%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Portland General Electric and Talen Energy, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Portland General Electric	1	2	4	0	2.43
Talen Energy	0	0	3	0	3.00

Portland General Electric presently has a consensus price target of $45.43, indicating a potential downside of 6.97%. Talen Energy has a consensus price target of $101.00, indicating a potential upside of ∞. Given Talen Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Talen Energy is more favorable than Portland General Electric.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

0.4% of Talen Energy shares are held by institutional investors. 0.5% of Portland General Electric shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Portland General Electric and Talen Energy”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Portland General Electric	$2.92 billion	1.72	$228.00 million	$2.61	18.71
Talen Energy	$2.55 billion	0.00	$613.00 million	N/A	N/A

Talen Energy has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Portland General Electric.

Summary

Portland General Electric beats Talen Energy on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Portland General Electric

Portland General Electric Company, an integrated electric utility company, engages in the generation, wholesale purchase, transmission, distribution, and retail sale of electricity in the state of Oregon. It operates six thermal plants, three wind farms, and seven hydroelectric facilities. As of December 31, 2023, the company owned an electric transmission system consisting of 1,254 circuit miles, including 287 circuit miles of 500 kilovolt line, 413 circuit miles of 230 kilovolt line, and 554 miles of 115 kilovolt line; and served 934 thousand retail customers in 51 cities. It also has 28,868 circuit miles of distribution lines. Portland General Electric Company was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.

About Talen Energy

Talen Energy Corporation, an independent power producer and infrastructure company, produces and sells electricity, capacity, and ancillary services into wholesale power markets in the United States. The company operates nuclear, fossil, solar, and coal power plants. It is also developing battery storage projects. The company owns and operates approximately 10.7 GW of power infrastructure. Talen Energy Corporation is headquartered in Houston, Texas.