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AEE vs. PPL: Ameren vs. PPL Stock Comparison

How do Ameren (AEE) and PPL (PPL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Ameren (AEE) and PPL (PPL) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but AEE is classified in Multi-Utilities while PPL is classified in Electric Utilities.

Company profile comparison for Ameren (AEE) and PPL (PPL)
Profile ItemAEEPPL
NameAmeren CorporationPPL Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorUtilitiesUtilities
GICS Industry GroupUtilitiesUtilities
GICS IndustryMulti-UtilitiesElectric Utilities
GICS Sub-IndustryMulti-UtilitiesElectric Utilities
Market Capitalization31.24 billion USD26.94 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJanuary 2, 1998March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AEE
PPL
GSPC
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Ameren (AEE) vs. PPL (PPL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Ameren (AEE) and PPL (PPL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Ameren (AEE) and PPL (PPL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ameren (AEE) and PPL (PPL)
MetricAEEPPL
Total Return (1Y)11.92%1.73%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)17.94%16.47%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)9.71%8.32%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AEE
PPL
GSPC
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Ameren (AEE) vs. PPL (PPL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Ameren (AEE) and PPL (PPL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ameren (AEE) and PPL (PPL)
MetricAEEPPL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)17.76%18.30%
Beta (5Y)0.400.54
Max Drawdown (5Y)-27.46%-24.73%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.74M7.63M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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AEE and PPL are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Ameren (AEE) and PPL (PPL)
MetricAEEPPL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.43-0.14
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.62-0.19

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Ameren (AEE) at 11.78% and PPL (PPL) at 8.63% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

AEE

Utilities industry group

11.78%

Max
17.99%
Q3
12.01%
AEE
11.78%
Median
9.44%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%

PPL

Utilities industry group

8.63%

Max
17.99%
Q3
12.01%
Median
9.44%
PPL
8.63%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%
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Ameren (AEE) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Ameren (AEE) at 18.59% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of PPL (PPL) at 13.47%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

AEE

Utilities industry group

18.59%

Max
28.78%
AEE
18.59%
Q3
17.30%
Median
12.73%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%

PPL

Utilities industry group

13.47%

Max
28.78%
Q3
17.30%
PPL
13.47%
Median
12.73%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%
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Ameren (AEE) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Ameren (AEE) at 31.23% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of PPL (PPL) at 23.59%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AEE

Utilities industry group

31.23%

Max
53.83%
AEE
31.23%
Q3
31.12%
Median
23.62%
Q1
15.45%
Min
-4.90%

PPL

Utilities industry group

23.59%

Max
53.83%
Q3
31.12%
Median
23.62%
PPL
23.59%
Q1
15.45%
Min
-4.90%
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Ameren (AEE) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ameren (AEE) and PPL (PPL)
MetricAEEPPL
ROE (TTM)11.78%8.63%
ROA (TTM)3.12%3.20%
Net Margin (TTM)18.59%13.47%
Operating Margin (TTM)31.23%23.59%
Gross Margin (TTM)52.47%44.09%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Ameren (AEE) at 15.43% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while PPL (PPL) at 6.85% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for AEE.

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Ameren (AEE) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Ameren (AEE) at 21.04% and PPL (PPL) at 32.50% sit in the top peer quartile for EPS growth, so each is compounding per-share earnings faster than typical industry peers.

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Ameren (AEE) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ameren (AEE) and PPL (PPL)
MetricAEEPPL
Revenue Growth (YoY)15.43%6.85%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)3.41%4.59%
EPS Growth (YoY)21.04%32.50%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)8.92%15.95%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Ameren (AEE) at 0.74 and PPL (PPL) at 0.91 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

AEE

Utilities industry group

0.74

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
Median
0.88
AEE
0.74
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29

PPL

Utilities industry group

0.91

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
PPL
0.91
Median
0.88
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29
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Ameren (AEE) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Ameren (AEE) at 1.57 and PPL (PPL) at 1.35 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AEE

Utilities industry group

1.57

Max
2.63
Q3
1.77
AEE
1.57
Median
1.35
Q1
0.84
Min
0.00

PPL

Utilities industry group

1.35

Max
2.63
Q3
1.77
PPL
1.35
Median
1.35
Q1
0.84
Min
0.00
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Ameren (AEE) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Ameren (AEE) and PPL (PPL)
MetricAEEPPL
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.740.91
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.571.35
Net Debt / EBITDA5.555.33

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

PPL (PPL) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Ameren (AEE) reports a yield of 0.63%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AEE

Utilities industry group

0.63%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
Median
2.85%
Q1
0.66%
AEE
0.63%
Min
0.00%

PPL

Utilities industry group

0.00%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
Median
2.85%
Q1
0.66%
PPL
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ameren (AEE) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Ameren (AEE) at 51.48% and PPL (PPL) at 65.98% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

AEE

Utilities industry group

51.48%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
Median
56.38%
AEE
51.48%
Q1
32.38%
Min
0.00%

PPL

Utilities industry group

65.98%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
PPL
65.98%
Median
56.38%
Q1
32.38%
Min
0.00%
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Ameren (AEE) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ameren (AEE) and PPL (PPL)
MetricAEEPPL
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.63%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)51.48%65.98%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Ameren (AEE) at 19.63 and PPL (PPL) at 20.57 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

AEE

Utilities industry group

19.63

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
Median
19.64
AEE
19.63
Q1
15.17
Min
3.34

PPL

Utilities industry group

20.57

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
PPL
20.57
Median
19.64
Q1
15.17
Min
3.34
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Ameren (AEE) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

PPL (PPL) at 2.87 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Ameren (AEE) at 3.63 sits in the pricier quartile — AEE costs more per dollar of sales.

AEE

Utilities industry group

3.63

Max
6.35
AEE
3.63
Q3
3.63
Median
2.63
Q1
1.52
Min
0.00

PPL

Utilities industry group

2.87

Max
6.35
Q3
3.63
PPL
2.87
Median
2.63
Q1
1.52
Min
0.00
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Ameren (AEE) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Ameren (AEE) at 2.20 and PPL (PPL) at 1.81 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

AEE

Utilities industry group

2.20

Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
AEE
2.20
Median
1.83
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34

PPL

Utilities industry group

1.81

Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
Median
1.83
PPL
1.81
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34
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Ameren (AEE) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ameren (AEE) and PPL (PPL)
MetricAEEPPL
P/E Ratio (TTM)19.6320.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.632.87
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.201.81
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-8.06%-7.19%