AES (AES) Competitors

AES (NYSE:AES) and Ormat Technologies (NYSE:ORA) are both mid-cap independent power producers & energy traders companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, risk, valuation, institutional ownership and media sentiment.

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of AES or ORA?

93.1% of AES shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.5% of Ormat Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. 0.6% of AES shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Ormat Technologies shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is AES or ORA a better dividend stock?

AES pays an annual dividend of $0.70 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.1%. Ormat Technologies pays an annual dividend of $0.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. AES pays out 38.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ormat Technologies pays out 23.3% 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. AES has raised its dividend for 12 consecutive years. AES is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Does the media refer more to AES or ORA?

In the previous week, AES had 13 more articles in the media than Ormat Technologies. MarketBeat recorded 21 mentions for AES and 8 mentions for Ormat Technologies. Ormat Technologies' average media sentiment score of 0.79 beat AES's score of 0.75 indicating that Ormat Technologies is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
AES	11 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Ormat Technologies	4 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more volatility and risk, AES or ORA?

AES has a beta of 0.95, suggesting that its share price is 5% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ormat Technologies has a beta of 0.64, suggesting that its share price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is AES or ORA more profitable?

Ormat Technologies has a net margin of 14.18% compared to AES's net margin of 10.67%. AES's return on equity of 18.06% beat Ormat Technologies' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
AES	10.67%	18.06%	2.80%
Ormat Technologies	14.18%	5.35%	2.40%

Which has better earnings & valuation, AES or ORA?

AES has higher revenue and earnings than Ormat Technologies. AES is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ormat Technologies, 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
AES	$12.12B	0.67	$1.68B	$1.84	6.23
Ormat Technologies	$885.25M	6.01	$123.73M	$2.06	42.58

Do analysts rate AES or ORA?

AES currently has a consensus target price of $24.22, suggesting a potential upside of 111.20%. Ormat Technologies has a consensus target price of $84.14, suggesting a potential downside of 4.07%. Given AES's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe AES is more favorable than Ormat Technologies.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
AES	2 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67
Ormat Technologies	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Summary

AES beats Ormat Technologies on 13 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.