Edison International (EIX) Competitors

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) and Edison International (NYSE:EIX) are both large-cap utilities companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, media sentiment and profitability.

Does the media prefer LNT or EIX?

In the previous week, Edison International had 3 more articles in the media than Alliant Energy. MarketBeat recorded 17 mentions for Edison International and 14 mentions for Alliant Energy. Alliant Energy's average media sentiment score of 1.36 beat Edison International's score of 1.24 indicating that Alliant Energy is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Alliant Energy	7 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Edison International	14 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of LNT or EIX?

79.9% of Alliant Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 88.9% of Edison International shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of Alliant Energy shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.2% of Edison International shares are owned by 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.

Do analysts prefer LNT or EIX?

Alliant Energy currently has a consensus price target of $64.23, suggesting a potential upside of 2.85%. Edison International has a consensus price target of $76.82, suggesting a potential upside of 51.23%. Given Edison International's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Edison International is more favorable than Alliant Energy.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Alliant Energy	1 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.36
Edison International	1 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	9 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.53

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, LNT or EIX?

Edison International has higher revenue and earnings than Alliant Energy. Edison International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Alliant Energy, 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
Alliant Energy	$3.98B	4.03	$690M	$2.90	21.53
Edison International	$17.33B	1.13	$1.55B	$7.05	7.21

Is LNT or EIX more profitable?

Alliant Energy has a net margin of 18.26% compared to Edison International's net margin of 16.84%. Edison International's return on equity of 13.21% beat Alliant Energy's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Alliant Energy	18.26%	12.01%	3.71%
Edison International	16.84%	13.21%	2.53%

Is LNT or EIX a better dividend stock?

Alliant Energy pays an annual dividend of $2.03 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. Edison International pays an annual dividend of $3.31 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.5%. Alliant Energy pays out 70.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Edison International pays out 47.0% 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. Alliant Energy has raised its dividend for 22 consecutive years and Edison International has raised its dividend for 23 consecutive years. Edison International is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has more risk and volatility, LNT or EIX?

Alliant Energy has a beta of 0.56, suggesting that its share price is 44% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Edison International has a beta of 0.75, suggesting that its share price is 25% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Edison International beats Alliant Energy on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.