Critical Comparison: NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) versus Alternus Clean Energy (NASDAQ:ALCE)

Alternus Clean Energy (NASDAQ:ALCE) and NorthWestern Energy Group (NYSE:NWE) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends and institutional ownership.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

96.1% of NorthWestern Energy Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 24.3% of Alternus Clean Energy shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of NorthWestern Energy Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations for Alternus Clean Energy and NorthWestern Energy Group, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Alternus Clean Energy	0	0	0	0	N/A
NorthWestern Energy Group	1	5	1	0	2.00

NorthWestern Energy Group has a consensus price target of $51.86, indicating a potential upside of 5.57%. Given NorthWestern Energy Group’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe NorthWestern Energy Group is more favorable than Alternus Clean Energy.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Alternus Clean Energy and NorthWestern Energy Group’s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Alternus Clean Energy	$20.08 million	1.54	-$69.46 million	N/A	N/A
NorthWestern Energy Group	$1.42 billion	2.12	$194.13 million	$3.23	15.21

NorthWestern Energy Group has higher revenue and earnings than Alternus Clean Energy.

Volatility & Risk

Alternus Clean Energy has a beta of -0.58, suggesting that its share price is 158% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, NorthWestern Energy Group has a beta of 0.45, suggesting that its share price is 55% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Alternus Clean Energy and NorthWestern Energy Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Alternus Clean Energy	N/A	N/A	N/A
NorthWestern Energy Group	13.62%	7.31%	2.69%

Summary

NorthWestern Energy Group beats Alternus Clean Energy on 10 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Alternus Clean Energy

Alternus Energy Group Plc operates as an international vertically integrated independent power producer. It owns, develops, installs, and operates midsized utility scale solar parks. The company was incorporated in 2019 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

About NorthWestern Energy Group

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. provides electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and various industrial customers. It generates, purchases, transmits, and distributes electricity; and produces, purchases, stores, transmits, and distributes natural gas, as well as owns municipal franchises to provide natural gas service in the communities. The company operates 6,600 miles of electric transmission and 18,674 miles of electric distribution lines with approximately 395 transmission and distribution substations; and 2,235 miles of natural gas transmission and 5,155 miles of natural gas distribution lines with approximately 133 city gate stations in Montana. It also operates 1,310 miles of electric transmission and 2,365 miles of electric distribution lines in South Dakota with approximately 124 transmission and distribution substations; and 55 miles of natural gas transmission and 2,573 miles of natural gas distribution lines in South Dakota and Nebraska. The company provides electricity and/or natural gas to approximately 775,300 customers in Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Yellowstone National Park. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. was founded in 1923 and is based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.