TLN vs. WTRG: Talen Energy vs. Essential Utilities Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Talen Energy (TLN) and Essential Utilities (WTRG) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but TLN is classified in Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers while WTRG is classified in Water Utilities.

Essential Utilities (WTRG) has more than two decades of public-market history since March 17, 1980, whereas Talen Energy (TLN) listed on June 2, 2023 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Talen Energy (TLN) has an aggressive beta of 1.53, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Essential Utilities (WTRG) is defensive at 0.61 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

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 Essential Utilities (WTRG) reports 8.13%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Talen Energy (TLN) reports a negative net margin of -5.67%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Essential Utilities (WTRG) reports 21.79%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 38.94% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Talen Energy (TLN) at 17.35%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both Talen Energy (TLN) at 26.68% and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 18.62% sit in the top peer quartile for revenue growth, so each is growing its top line faster than typical industry peers.

Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 1.38% 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.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Talen Energy (TLN) at 0.89 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 0.40 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for WTRG.

Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 1.23 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Talen Energy (TLN) at 5.97 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Talen Energy (TLN) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Essential Utilities (WTRG) reports a yield of 3.01%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Talen Energy (TLN) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Essential Utilities (WTRG) reports a payout of 69.42%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Essential Utilities (WTRG) trades at 22.73 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Talen Energy (TLN) has no P/E ratio this period.

Talen Energy (TLN) at 3.29 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 5.01 sits in the pricier quartile — WTRG costs more per dollar of sales.

Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 1.83 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.

Valuation Metrics