Companhia Paranaense de Energia – Copel (NYSE:ELPC) versus Dominion Energy (NYSE:D) Critical Contrast

Dominion Energy (NYSE:D) and Companhia Paranaense de Energia – Copel (NYSE:ELPC) are both utilities companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability and risk.

Profitability

This table compares Dominion 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
Dominion Energy	16.45%	9.68%	2.69%
Companhia Paranaense de Energia – Copel	N/A	N/A	N/A

Risk and Volatility

Dominion Energy has a beta of 0.62, meaning that its stock price is 38% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Companhia Paranaense de Energia – Copel has a beta of -0.03, meaning that its stock price is 103% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Dominion Energy pays an annual dividend of $2.67 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.4%. Companhia Paranaense de Energia – Copel pays an annual dividend of $0.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.0%. Dominion Energy pays out 92.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Companhia Paranaense de Energia – Copel pays out 50.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

73.0% of Dominion Energy shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of Dominion Energy shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Dominion Energy and Companhia Paranaense de Energia – Copel”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Dominion Energy	$14.46 billion	3.60	$2.12 billion	$2.90	21.02
Companhia Paranaense de Energia – Copel	$4.20 billion	2.29	$759.71 million	$0.71	12.66

Dominion Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Companhia Paranaense de Energia – Copel. Companhia Paranaense de Energia – Copel is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Dominion Energy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Dominion Energy and Companhia Paranaense de Energia – Copel, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Dominion Energy	1	5	1	0	2.00
Companhia Paranaense de Energia – Copel	0	0	0	0	0.00

Dominion Energy presently has a consensus price target of $60.33, suggesting a potential downside of 1.01%. Given Dominion Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Dominion Energy is more favorable than Companhia Paranaense de Energia – Copel.

Summary

Dominion Energy beats Companhia Paranaense de Energia – Copel on 15 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Dominion Energy

Dominion Energy, Inc. produces and distributes energy in the United States. It operates through three operating segments: Dominion Energy Virginia, Dominion Energy South Carolina, and Contracted Energy. The Dominion Energy Virginia segment generates, transmits, and distributes regulated electricity to approximately 2.8 million residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental customers in Virginia and North Carolina. The Dominion Energy South Carolina segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 0.8 million customers in the central, southern, and southwestern portions of South Carolina; and distributes natural gas to approximately 0.4 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers in South Carolina. The Contracted Energy segment is involved in the nonregulated long-term contracted renewable electric generation and renewable natural gas facility. As of December 31, 2023, the company's portfolio of assets included approximately 29.5 gigawatt of electric generating capacity; 10,600 miles of electric transmission lines; 79,300 miles of electric distribution lines; and 94,800 miles of gas distribution mains and related service facilities. The company was formerly known as Dominion Resources, Inc. Dominion Energy, Inc. was incorporated in 1983 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.

About Companhia Paranaense de Energia – Copel

Companhia Paranaense de Energia – COPEL engages in the generation, transformation, distribution, and sale of electricity to industrial, residential, commercial, rural, and other customers in Brazil. The company operates through Power Generation and Transmission, Power Distribution, GAS, Power Sale, and Holding and Services segments. It is also involved in the piped natural gas distribution. The company operates hydroelectric, wind, and thermoelectric plants; and owns and operates transmission and distribution lines. It holds concessions to distribute electricity in municipalities in the State of Paraná and in the municipality of Porto União in the State of Santa Catarina. Companhia Paranaense de Energia COPEL was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in Curitiba, Brazil.