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PNW vs. TLN: Pinnacle West Capital vs. Talen Energy Stock Comparison

How do Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) and Talen Energy (TLN) 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

Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) and Talen Energy (TLN) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but PNW is classified in Electric Utilities while TLN is classified in Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers.

Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) has more than two decades of public-market history since February 21, 1973, whereas Talen Energy (TLN) listed on June 2, 2023 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) and Talen Energy (TLN)
Profile ItemPNWTLN
NamePinnacle West Capital CorporationTalen Energy Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorUtilitiesUtilities
GICS Industry GroupUtilitiesUtilities
GICS IndustryElectric UtilitiesIndependent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers
GICS Sub-IndustryElectric UtilitiesIndependent Power Producers & Energy Traders
Market Capitalization12.63 billion USD14.73 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateFebruary 21, 1973June 2, 2023
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PNW
TLN
GSPC
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Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) vs. Talen Energy (TLN), 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 Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) and Talen Energy (TLN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) and Talen Energy (TLN)
MetricPNWTLN
Total Return (1Y)24.23%-6.63%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)18.78%88.64%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)15.87%--

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Talen Energy (TLN) has an aggressive beta of 1.53, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) is defensive at 0.48 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) and Talen Energy (TLN)
MetricPNWTLN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)17.21%58.28%
Beta (5Y)0.481.53
Max Drawdown (5Y)-24.02%-36.72%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.28M1.01M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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PNW and TLN 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 Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) and Talen Energy (TLN)
MetricPNWTLN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.16-0.19
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.77-0.26

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Talen Energy (TLN) reports a negative ROE of -16.54%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) reports 9.09%, ranking against industry peers normally.

PNW

Utilities industry group

9.09%

Max
17.99%
Q3
12.01%
Median
9.44%
PNW
9.09%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%

TLN

Utilities industry group

-16.54%

Max
17.99%
Q3
12.01%
Median
9.44%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%
TLN
-16.54%
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Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Talen Energy (TLN) reports a negative net margin of -5.67%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) reports 11.59%, ranking against industry peers normally.

PNW

Utilities industry group

11.59%

Max
28.78%
Q3
17.30%
Median
12.73%
PNW
11.59%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%

TLN

Utilities industry group

-5.67%

Max
28.78%
Q3
17.30%
Median
12.73%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%
TLN
-5.67%
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Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): 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 Talen Energy (TLN) at 17.35%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

PNW

Utilities industry group

31.70%

Max
53.83%
PNW
31.70%
Q3
31.12%
Median
23.62%
Q1
15.45%
Min
-4.90%

TLN

Utilities industry group

17.35%

Max
53.83%
Q3
31.12%
Median
23.62%
TLN
17.35%
Q1
15.45%
Min
-4.90%
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Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) and Talen Energy (TLN)
MetricPNWTLN
ROE (TTM)9.09%-16.54%
ROA (TTM)2.36%0.88%
Net Margin (TTM)11.59%-5.67%
Operating Margin (TTM)31.70%17.35%
Gross Margin (TTM)43.84%42.67%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Talen Energy (TLN) at 26.68% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at 4.20% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for TLN.

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Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at -3.63% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Talen Energy (TLN) at -127.11% falls below its industry range, a notably weak earnings reading.

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Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) and Talen Energy (TLN)
MetricPNWTLN
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.20%26.68%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)7.28%2.87%
EPS Growth (YoY)-3.63%-127.11%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)5.83%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at 0.71 and Talen Energy (TLN) at 0.89 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

PNW

Utilities industry group

0.71

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
Median
0.88
PNW
0.71
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29

TLN

Utilities industry group

0.89

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
TLN
0.89
Median
0.88
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29
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Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both balance sheets lean debt-heavy versus peers, but TLN is more stretched: Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at 2.26 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and Talen Energy (TLN) at 5.97 is above its industry benchmark range.

PNW

Utilities industry group

2.26

Max
2.63
PNW
2.26
Q3
1.77
Median
1.35
Q1
0.84
Min
0.00

TLN

Utilities industry group

5.97

TLN
5.97
Max
2.63
Q3
1.77
Median
1.35
Q1
0.84
Min
0.00
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Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) and Talen Energy (TLN)
MetricPNWTLN
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.710.89
Debt / Equity (MRQ)2.265.97
Net Debt / EBITDA7.6713.69

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Talen Energy (TLN) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) reports a yield of 3.51%, ranking against industry peers normally.

PNW

Utilities industry group

3.51%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
PNW
3.51%
Median
2.85%
Q1
0.66%
Min
0.00%

TLN

Utilities industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Talen Energy (TLN) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) reports a payout of 68.42%, ranking against industry peers normally.

PNW

Utilities industry group

68.42%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
PNW
68.42%
Median
56.38%
Q1
32.38%
Min
0.00%

TLN

Utilities industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) and Talen Energy (TLN)
MetricPNWTLN
Dividend Yield (TTM)3.51%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)68.42%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) trades at 19.59 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Talen Energy (TLN) has no P/E ratio this period.

PNW

Utilities industry group

19.59

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
Median
19.64
PNW
19.59
Q1
15.17
Min
3.34

TLN

Utilities industry group

--

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
Median
19.64
Q1
15.17
Min
3.34
TLN
--
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Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): TLN does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; PNW is benchmarked against the Utilities industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at 2.21 and Talen Energy (TLN) at 3.29 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

PNW

Utilities industry group

2.21

Max
6.35
Q3
3.63
Median
2.63
PNW
2.21
Q1
1.52
Min
0.00

TLN

Utilities industry group

3.29

Max
6.35
Q3
3.63
TLN
3.29
Median
2.63
Q1
1.52
Min
0.00
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Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) at 1.69 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Talen Energy (TLN) at 10.14 prices above its benchmark range — TLN looks rich relative to book.

PNW

Utilities industry group

1.69

Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
Median
1.83
PNW
1.69
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34

TLN

Utilities industry group

10.14

TLN
10.14
Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
Median
1.83
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34
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Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) and Talen Energy (TLN)
MetricPNWTLN
P/E Ratio (TTM)19.59--
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.213.29
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.6910.14
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-7.90%6.39%