Head to Head Contrast: Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR) & Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL (OTCMKTS:ELPVY)

Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL (OTCMKTS:ELPVY) and Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR) are both mid-cap utilities companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL and Portland General Electric’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL	18.43%	16.92%	7.73%
Portland General Electric	8.51%	8.50%	2.58%

Dividends

Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL pays an annual dividend of $0.01 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Portland General Electric pays an annual dividend of $1.90 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.4%. Portland General Electric pays out 72.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Portland General Electric has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Portland General Electric is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL and Portland General Electric, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL	0	0	0	0	N/A
Portland General Electric	0	3	4	0	2.57

Portland General Electric has a consensus price target of $44.00, indicating a potential upside of 2.80%. Given Portland General Electric’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Portland General Electric is more favorable than Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL and Portland General Electric’s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL	$3.95 billion	0.90	$504.25 million	N/A	N/A
Portland General Electric	$2.92 billion	1.51	$228.00 million	$2.61	16.40

Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL has higher revenue and earnings than Portland General Electric.

Volatility and Risk

Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL has a beta of 0.42, indicating that its stock price is 58% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Portland General Electric has a beta of 0.58, indicating that its stock price is 42% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Portland General Electric beats Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL

Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity to industrial, residential, commercial, rural, and other customers primarily in the State of Paraná, Brazil. As of December 31, 2019, the company operated 19 hydroelectric plants, 25 wind plants, and one thermoelectric plant with a total installed capacity of 5,742.0 megawatts; and owned and operated 3,389 kilometers of transmission lines and 199,952.6 kilometers of distribution lines. It holds concessions to distribute electricity in 399 municipalities in the State of Paraná and in the municipality of Porto União in the State of Santa Catarina. The company also provides telecommunication services to corporate clients, including supermarkets, universities, banks, internet service providers, and television networks, as well as to retail clients; and broadband internet access to public elementary and middle schools. In addition, it supplies piped gas to 47,238 customers, including thermoelectric plants, cogeneration plants, gas stations, other businesses, and residences through a gas distribution network covering 833 kilometers in the State of Paraná. Companhia Paranaense de Energia Â- COPEL was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in Curitiba, Brazil.

About Portland General Electric

Portland General Electric Company, an integrated electric utility company, engages in the generation, wholesale purchase, transmission, distribution, and retail sale of electricity in the state of Oregon. It operates six thermal plants, three wind farms, and seven hydroelectric facilities. As of December 31, 2023, the company owned an electric transmission system consisting of 1,254 circuit miles, including 287 circuit miles of 500 kilovolt line, 413 circuit miles of 230 kilovolt line, and 554 miles of 115 kilovolt line; and served 934 thousand retail customers in 51 cities. It also has 28,868 circuit miles of distribution lines. Portland General Electric Company was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.