AES vs. FE: AES vs. FirstEnergy Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do AES (AES) and FirstEnergy (FE) 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

AES (AES) and FirstEnergy (FE) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but AES is classified in Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers while FE is classified in Electric Utilities.

Company profile comparison for AES (AES) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Profile Item	AES	FE
Name	The AES Corporation	FirstEnergy Corp.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers	Electric Utilities
GICS Sub-Industry	Independent Power Producers & Energy Traders	Electric Utilities
Market Capitalization	10.61 billion USD	26.88 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	June 26, 1991	November 10, 1997
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AES

GSPC

AES (AES) vs. FirstEnergy (FE), 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 AES (AES) and FirstEnergy (FE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for AES (AES) and FirstEnergy (FE). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for AES (AES) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Metric	AES	FE
Total Return (1Y)	10.79%	5.62%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	3.44%	14.20%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-5.12%	8.32%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AES

GSPC

AES (AES) vs. FirstEnergy (FE), 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 AES (AES) and FirstEnergy (FE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for AES (AES) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Metric	AES	FE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.19%	16.31%
Beta (5Y)	0.93	0.39
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-63.43%	-28.59%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.50M	4.29M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AES and FE 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 AES (AES) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Metric	AES	FE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.26	0.08
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.33	0.11

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both AES (AES) at 8.68% and FirstEnergy (FE) at 10.04% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

AES

Utilities industry group

8.68%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
Median: 9.44%
AES: 8.68%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%

FE

Utilities industry group

10.04%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
FE: 10.04%
Median: 9.44%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%

AES (AES) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

AES (AES) at 13.16% keeps about the industry-typical share of revenue as profit, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 7.49% retains only a bottom-quartile share.

AES

Utilities industry group

13.16%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
AES: 13.16%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
Min: -0.20%

FE

Utilities industry group

7.49%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
FE: 7.49%
Min: -0.20%

AES (AES) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both AES (AES) at 23.89% and FirstEnergy (FE) at 21.24% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

AES

Utilities industry group

23.89%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
AES: 23.89%
Median: 23.62%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

FE

Utilities industry group

21.24%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
FE: 21.24%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

AES (AES) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for AES (AES) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Metric	AES	FE
ROE (TTM)	8.68%	10.04%
ROA (TTM)	3.13%	3.66%
Net Margin (TTM)	13.16%	7.49%
Operating Margin (TTM)	23.89%	21.24%
Gross Margin (TTM)	21.34%	69.63%

Growth

Revenue Growth

FirstEnergy (FE) at 12.01% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while AES (AES) at -0.37% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

AES (AES) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

FirstEnergy (FE) at 3.53% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while AES (AES) at -46.61% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

AES (AES) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for AES (AES) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Metric	AES	FE
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-0.37%	12.01%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-1.03%	6.59%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-46.61%	3.53%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	35.34%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

AES (AES) at 0.86 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 0.38 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for FE.

AES

Utilities industry group

0.86

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
AES: 0.86
Q1: 0.66
Min: 0.29

FE

Utilities industry group

0.38

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
FE: 0.38
Min: 0.29

AES (AES) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both AES (AES) at 2.43 and FirstEnergy (FE) at 2.07 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

AES

Utilities industry group

2.43

Max: 2.63
AES: 2.43
Q3: 1.77
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

FE

Utilities industry group

2.07

Max: 2.63
FE: 2.07
Q3: 1.77
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

AES (AES) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for AES (AES) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Metric	AES	FE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.86	0.38
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.43	2.07
Net Debt / EBITDA	7.28	5.85

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both AES (AES) at 4.73% and FirstEnergy (FE) at 3.90% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

AES

Utilities industry group

4.73%

Max: 6.66%
AES: 4.73%
Q3: 3.58%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

FE

Utilities industry group

3.90%

Max: 6.66%
FE: 3.90%
Q3: 3.58%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

AES (AES) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

AES (AES) at 28.27% retains more earnings than its industry usually does; FirstEnergy (FE) at 87.92% distributes an above-typical share — opposite departures from the band, with the risk sitting on FE’s side.

AES

Utilities industry group

28.27%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
AES: 28.27%
Min: 0.00%

FE

Utilities industry group

87.92%

Max: 113.04%
FE: 87.92%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
Min: 0.00%

AES (AES) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for AES (AES) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Metric	AES	FE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.73%	3.90%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	28.27%	87.92%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

AES (AES) at 5.97 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 22.43 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for AES, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

AES

Utilities industry group

5.97

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
AES: 5.97
Min: 3.34

FE

Utilities industry group

22.43

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
FE: 22.43
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

AES (AES) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

AES (AES) at 0.78 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while FirstEnergy (FE) at 1.68 prices around its industry’s middle — AES costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

AES

Utilities industry group

0.78

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
Q1: 1.52
AES: 0.78
Min: 0.00

FE

Utilities industry group

1.68

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
FE: 1.68
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

AES (AES) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both AES (AES) at 1.86 and FirstEnergy (FE) at 2.07 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

AES

Utilities industry group

1.86

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
AES: 1.86
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

FE

Utilities industry group

2.07

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
FE: 2.07
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

AES (AES) vs. FirstEnergy (FE): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for AES (AES) and FirstEnergy (FE)
Metric	AES	FE
P/E Ratio (TTM)	5.97	22.43
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.78	1.68
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.86	2.07
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-30.54%	-9.48%