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FE vs. PNW: FirstEnergy vs. Pinnacle West Capital Stock Comparison

How do FirstEnergy (FE) and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) 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

FirstEnergy (FE) and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) are both classified in the Electric Utilities sub-industry within the broader Electric Utilities industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for FirstEnergy (FE) and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW)
Profile ItemFEPNW
NameFirstEnergy Corp.Pinnacle West Capital Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorUtilitiesUtilities
GICS Industry GroupUtilitiesUtilities
GICS IndustryElectric UtilitiesElectric Utilities
GICS Sub-IndustryElectric UtilitiesElectric Utilities
Market Capitalization26.88 billion USD12.63 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateNovember 10, 1997February 21, 1973
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FE
PNW
GSPC
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FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Pinnacle West Capital (PNW), 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 FirstEnergy (FE) and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW)
MetricFEPNW
Total Return (1Y)5.62%24.23%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)14.20%18.78%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)8.32%15.87%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FE
PNW
GSPC
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FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Pinnacle West Capital (PNW), 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 FirstEnergy (FE) and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW)
MetricFEPNW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)16.31%17.21%
Beta (5Y)0.390.48
Max Drawdown (5Y)-28.59%-24.02%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.29M1.28M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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FE and PNW 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 FirstEnergy (FE) and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW)
MetricFEPNW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.081.16
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.111.77

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 10.04% and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at 9.09% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

FE

Utilities industry group

10.04%

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

PNW

Utilities industry group

9.09%

Max
17.99%
Q3
12.01%
Median
9.44%
PNW
9.09%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%
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FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Pinnacle West Capital (PNW): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at 11.59% keeps about the industry-typical share of revenue as profit, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 7.49% retains only a bottom-quartile share.

FE

Utilities industry group

7.49%

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

PNW

Utilities industry group

11.59%

Max
28.78%
Q3
17.30%
Median
12.73%
PNW
11.59%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%
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FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Pinnacle West Capital (PNW): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at 31.70% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of FirstEnergy (FE) at 21.24%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

FE

Utilities industry group

21.24%

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

PNW

Utilities industry group

31.70%

Max
53.83%
PNW
31.70%
Q3
31.12%
Median
23.62%
Q1
15.45%
Min
-4.90%
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FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Pinnacle West Capital (PNW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW)
MetricFEPNW
ROE (TTM)10.04%9.09%
ROA (TTM)3.66%2.36%
Net Margin (TTM)7.49%11.59%
Operating Margin (TTM)21.24%31.70%
Gross Margin (TTM)69.63%43.84%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 12.01% and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at 4.20% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Pinnacle West Capital (PNW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 3.53% and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at -3.63% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Pinnacle West Capital (PNW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW)
MetricFEPNW
Revenue Growth (YoY)12.01%4.20%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)6.59%7.28%
EPS Growth (YoY)3.53%-3.63%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)35.34%5.83%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at 0.71 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.

FE

Utilities industry group

0.38

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

PNW

Utilities industry group

0.71

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
Median
0.88
PNW
0.71
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29
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FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Pinnacle West Capital (PNW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 2.07 and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at 2.26 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

FE

Utilities industry group

2.07

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

PNW

Utilities industry group

2.26

Max
2.63
PNW
2.26
Q3
1.77
Median
1.35
Q1
0.84
Min
0.00
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FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Pinnacle West Capital (PNW): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW)
MetricFEPNW
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.380.71
Debt / Equity (MRQ)2.072.26
Net Debt / EBITDA5.857.67

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

FirstEnergy (FE) at 3.90% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at 3.51% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, FE the richer one.

FE

Utilities industry group

3.90%

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

PNW

Utilities industry group

3.51%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
PNW
3.51%
Median
2.85%
Q1
0.66%
Min
0.00%
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FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Pinnacle West Capital (PNW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at 68.42% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 87.92% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

FE

Utilities industry group

87.92%

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

PNW

Utilities industry group

68.42%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
PNW
68.42%
Median
56.38%
Q1
32.38%
Min
0.00%
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FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Pinnacle West Capital (PNW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW)
MetricFEPNW
Dividend Yield (TTM)3.90%3.51%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)87.92%68.42%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 22.43 and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at 19.59 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

FE

Utilities industry group

22.43

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

PNW

Utilities industry group

19.59

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
Median
19.64
PNW
19.59
Q1
15.17
Min
3.34
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FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Pinnacle West Capital (PNW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both FirstEnergy (FE) at 1.68 and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at 2.21 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

FE

Utilities industry group

1.68

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

PNW

Utilities industry group

2.21

Max
6.35
Q3
3.63
Median
2.63
PNW
2.21
Q1
1.52
Min
0.00
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FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Pinnacle West Capital (PNW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both FirstEnergy (FE) at 2.07 and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at 1.69 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

FE

Utilities industry group

2.07

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

PNW

Utilities industry group

1.69

Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
Median
1.83
PNW
1.69
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34
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FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Pinnacle West Capital (PNW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Pinnacle West Capital (PNW)
MetricFEPNW
P/E Ratio (TTM)22.4319.59
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.682.21
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.071.69
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-9.48%-7.90%