Head to Head Comparison: Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL (OTCMKTS:ELPVY) versus Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT)

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) and Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL (OTCMKTS:ELPVY) are both utilities companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation and risk.

Volatility & Risk

Alliant Energy has a beta of 0.55, suggesting that its stock price is 45% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL has a beta of 0.42, suggesting that its stock price is 58% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Alliant Energy and Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Alliant Energy	$4.36 billion	4.07	$810.00 million	$3.16	21.65
Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL	$3.95 billion	0.90	$504.25 million	N/A	N/A

Alliant Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

79.9% of Alliant Energy shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Alliant Energy shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Alliant Energy	18.45%	11.16%	3.31%
Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL	18.43%	16.92%	7.73%

Dividends

Alliant Energy pays an annual dividend of $2.14 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL pays an annual dividend of $0.01 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Alliant Energy pays out 67.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Alliant Energy has increased its dividend for 22 consecutive years. Alliant Energy is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Alliant Energy and Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Alliant Energy	0	5	9	0	2.64
Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL	0	0	0	0	0.00

Alliant Energy currently has a consensus price target of $76.82, suggesting a potential upside of 12.27%. Given Alliant Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Alliant Energy is more favorable than Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL.

Summary

Alliant Energy beats Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL on 13 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Alliant Energy

Alliant Energy Corporation operates as a utility holding company that provides regulated electricity and natural gas services in the United States. It operates in three segments: Utility Electric Operations, Utility Gas Operations, and Utility Other. The company, through its subsidiary, Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL), primarily generates and distributes electricity, and distributes and transports natural gas to retail customers in Iowa; sells electricity to wholesale customers in Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa; and generates and distributes steam in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Alliant Energy Corporation, through its other subsidiary, Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL), generates and distributes electricity, and distributes and transports natural gas to retail customers in Wisconsin; and sells electricity to wholesale customers in Wisconsin. It serves retail customers in the farming, agriculture, industrial manufacturing, chemical, packaging, and food industries, as well as wholesale customers comprising municipalities and rural electric cooperatives. In addition, the company owns and operates a short-line rail freight service in Iowa; a Mississippi River barge, rail, and truck freight terminal in Illinois; freight brokerage services; wind turbine blade recycling services; and a rail-served warehouse in Iowa. Further, it holds interests in a natural gas-fired electric generating unit near Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin; and a wind farm located in Oklahoma. The company was formerly known as Interstate Energy Corp. and changed its name to Alliant Energy Corporation in May 1999. Alliant Energy Corporation was incorporated in 1981 and is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin.

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.