CNP vs. PPL: CenterPoint Energy vs. PPL Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do CenterPoint Energy (CNP) 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

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

Company profile comparison for CenterPoint Energy (CNP) and PPL (PPL)
Profile Item	CNP	PPL
Name	CenterPoint Energy, Inc.	PPL Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Multi-Utilities	Electric Utilities
GICS Sub-Industry	Multi-Utilities	Electric Utilities
Market Capitalization	26.95 billion USD	26.94 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CNP

PPL

GSPC

CenterPoint Energy (CNP) 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 CenterPoint Energy (CNP) and PPL (PPL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for CenterPoint Energy (CNP) and PPL (PPL)
Metric	CNP	PPL
Total Return (1Y)	5.91%	1.73%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	18.08%	16.47%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	11.79%	8.32%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CNP

PPL

GSPC

CenterPoint Energy (CNP) 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 CenterPoint Energy (CNP) and PPL (PPL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for CenterPoint Energy (CNP) and PPL (PPL)
Metric	CNP	PPL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	18.24%	18.30%
Beta (5Y)	0.44	0.54
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-22.81%	-24.73%
Avg. Volume (3M)	6.95M	7.63M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CNP 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 CenterPoint Energy (CNP) and PPL (PPL)
Metric	CNP	PPL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.09	-0.14
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.12	-0.19

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both CenterPoint Energy (CNP) at 10.14% 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.

CNP

Utilities industry group

10.14%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
CNP: 10.14%
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%

CenterPoint Energy (CNP) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both CenterPoint Energy (CNP) at 11.76% and PPL (PPL) at 13.47% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

CNP

Utilities industry group

11.76%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
CNP: 11.76%
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%

CenterPoint Energy (CNP) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both CenterPoint Energy (CNP) at 30.26% and PPL (PPL) at 23.59% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

CNP

Utilities industry group

30.26%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
CNP: 30.26%
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%

CenterPoint Energy (CNP) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for CenterPoint Energy (CNP) and PPL (PPL)
Metric	CNP	PPL
ROE (TTM)	10.14%	8.63%
ROA (TTM)	3.15%	3.20%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.76%	13.47%
Operating Margin (TTM)	30.26%	23.59%
Gross Margin (TTM)	48.39%	44.09%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both CenterPoint Energy (CNP) at 8.26% and PPL (PPL) at 6.85% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

CenterPoint Energy (CNP) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

PPL (PPL) at 32.50% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while CenterPoint Energy (CNP) at 1.27% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for PPL.

CenterPoint Energy (CNP) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for CenterPoint Energy (CNP) and PPL (PPL)
Metric	CNP	PPL
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.26%	6.85%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	0.13%	4.59%
EPS Growth (YoY)	1.27%	32.50%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	0.21%	15.95%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both CenterPoint Energy (CNP) at 1.15 and PPL (PPL) at 0.91 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

CNP

Utilities industry group

1.15

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
CNP: 1.15
Median: 0.88
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

CenterPoint Energy (CNP) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

PPL (PPL) at 1.35 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while CenterPoint Energy (CNP) at 2.12 uses more debt funding than most peers.

CNP

Utilities industry group

2.12

Max: 2.63
CNP: 2.12
Q3: 1.77
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

CenterPoint Energy (CNP) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for CenterPoint Energy (CNP) and PPL (PPL)
Metric	CNP	PPL
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.15	0.91
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.12	1.35
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.98	5.33

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 CenterPoint Energy (CNP) reports a yield of 2.30%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CNP

Utilities industry group

2.30%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
Median: 2.85%
CNP: 2.30%
Q1: 0.66%
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%

CenterPoint Energy (CNP) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both CenterPoint Energy (CNP) at 52.87% 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.

CNP

Utilities industry group

52.87%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
CNP: 52.87%
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%

CenterPoint Energy (CNP) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for CenterPoint Energy (CNP) and PPL (PPL)
Metric	CNP	PPL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.30%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	52.87%	65.98%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

PPL (PPL) at 20.57 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while CenterPoint Energy (CNP) at 23.37 sits in the richer quartile — CNP needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

CNP

Utilities industry group

23.37

Max: 31.22
CNP: 23.37
Q3: 23.30
Median: 19.64
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

CenterPoint Energy (CNP) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both CenterPoint Energy (CNP) at 2.74 and PPL (PPL) at 2.87 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

CNP

Utilities industry group

2.74

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
CNP: 2.74
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

CenterPoint Energy (CNP) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

PPL (PPL) at 1.81 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while CenterPoint Energy (CNP) at 2.30 carries an above-peer premium to book — CNP is pricier on assets.

CNP

Utilities industry group

2.30

Max: 3.12
CNP: 2.30
Q3: 2.21
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

CenterPoint Energy (CNP) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for CenterPoint Energy (CNP) and PPL (PPL)
Metric	CNP	PPL
P/E Ratio (TTM)	23.37	20.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.74	2.87
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.30	1.81
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-18.50%	-7.19%