Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ:BLDP – Get Free Report) and Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR – Get Free Report) are both utilities companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations and earnings.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
28.0% of Ballard Power Systems shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Ballard Power Systems shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Portland General Electric shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Ballard Power Systems and Portland General Electric”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Ballard Power Systems | $99.40 million | 11.80 | -$90.91 million | ($0.27) | -14.41 |
| Portland General Electric | $3.58 billion | 1.68 | $306.00 million | $2.24 | 23.15 |
Portland General Electric has higher revenue and earnings than Ballard Power Systems. Ballard Power Systems is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Portland General Electric, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Profitability
This table compares Ballard Power Systems and Portland General Electric’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Ballard Power Systems | -78.60% | -13.48% | -11.64% |
| Portland General Electric | 7.12% | 7.57% | 2.33% |
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Ballard Power Systems and Portland General Electric, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Ballard Power Systems | 3 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1.87 |
| Portland General Electric | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
Ballard Power Systems presently has a consensus price target of $3.59, indicating a potential downside of 7.78%. Portland General Electric has a consensus price target of $51.00, indicating a potential downside of 1.64%. Given Portland General Electric’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Portland General Electric is more favorable than Ballard Power Systems.
Risk and Volatility
Ballard Power Systems has a beta of 2.19, suggesting that its share price is 119% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Portland General Electric has a beta of 0.52, suggesting that its share price is 48% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Portland General Electric beats Ballard Power Systems on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Ballard Power Systems
Ballard Power Systems Inc. engages in the design, development, manufacture, sale, and service of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell products. The company offers its products for power product comprising for bus, truck, rail, marine, stationary, and emerging market, such as material handling, off-road, and other applications. It also engages in the delivery of services, including technology solutions, after sales services, and training; and provision of engineering services, product and systems integration services, and related technology transfer for a variety of PEM fuel cell applications. It operates in the United States, Germany, Canada, China, Poland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Denmark, Belgium, India, Taiwan, Spain, Norway, Australia, Japan, and internationally. The company has a strategic alliance with Linamar Corporation for the co-development and sale of fuel cell powertrains and components for class 1 and 2 vehicles in North America and Europe. Ballard Power Systems Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Burnaby, Canada.
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.
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