Sifting through countless of stocks in the Electric Utilities industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.
Read on to learn how Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.
About Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group and Inc.
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, four wind farms, and seven hydroelectric facilities. As of December 31, 2025, the company owned an electric transmission system consisting of 1,744 circuit miles, including 287 circuit miles of 500 kilovolt line, 414 circuit miles of 230 kilovolt line, and 577 miles of 115 kilovolt line; 466 miles of 57 kilovolt line; and served 960 thousand retail customers in 51 cities. It also has 29,251 circuit miles of distribution lines. Portland General Electric Company was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.
NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc., doing business as NorthWestern Energy, provides electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and diversified 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 6,596 miles of electric transmission and 18,946 miles of electric distribution lines with approximately 397 transmission and distribution substations; and 2,133 miles of natural gas transmission and 5,939 miles of natural gas distribution lines with approximately 134 city gate stations in Montana. It also operates 1,344 miles of electric transmission and 2,386 miles of electric distribution lines in South Dakota with approximately 123 transmission and distribution substations; and 55 miles of natural gas transmission, 1,853 miles of natural gas distribution lines in South Dakota, and 836 miles of natural gas distribution lines Nebraska. The company provides electricity and/or natural gas to approximately 850,300 customers in Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Yellowstone National Park. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. was incorporated in 1923 and is based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Latest Electric Utilities and Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. Stock News
As of October 9, 2026, Portland General Electric Company had a $5.3 billion market capitalization, compared to the Electric Utilities median of $17.1 million. Portland General Electric Company’s stock is down 5.4% in 2026, up 1.9% in the previous five trading days and up 3.39% in the past year.
Currently, Portland General Electric Company’s price-earnings ratio is 20.1. Portland General Electric Company’s trailing 12-month revenue is $3.5 billion with a 7.3% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 0.9%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.397 per share for the current fiscal year. Portland General Electric Company currently has a 4.9% dividend yield.
As of October 9, 2026, NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. had a $4.6 billion market cap, putting it in the 67th percentile of all stocks. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc.’s stock is up 14.9% in 2026, up 7% in the previous five trading days and up 25.68% in the past year.
Currently, NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 26.8. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.7 billion with a 10.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 14.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.731 per share for the current fiscal year. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. currently has a 3.6% dividend yield.
How We Compare Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group and Inc. Stock Grades
Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.
AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.
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Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group and Inc.’s Quality Grades
| Company | Ticker | Quality |
| Portland General Electric Company | POR | C |
| NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. | NWE | D |
Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.
The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.
The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.
Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.
Portland General Electric Company has a Quality Score of 42, which is Average.
NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a Quality Score of 38, which is Weak.
The Quality Stock Winner: No Clear Winner
Neither Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group or Inc. has a high enough Quality Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to quality.
Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group and Inc.’s Momentum Grades
| Company | Ticker | Momentum |
| Portland General Electric Company | POR | C |
| NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. | NWE | B |
Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.
Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.
Portland General Electric Company has a Momentum Score of 43, which is Average.
NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 67, which is Strong.
The Momentum Grade Winner: NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc.
As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. is considered to have stronger momentum compared to Portland General Electric Company. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.
Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades
| Company | Ticker | Earnings Estimate |
| Portland General Electric Company | POR | D |
| NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. | NWE | D |
Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).
Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.
Portland General Electric Company has a Earnings Estimate Score of 26, which is Negative.
NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 39, which is Negative.
The Earnings Estimate Revisions Stock Winner: No Clear Winner
Neither Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group or Inc. has an Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade that could be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to estimate revisions.
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Other Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group and Inc. Grades
In addition to Quality, Momentum and Estimate Revisions, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Growth.
Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.
Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.
These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.
So, Which Is the Better Investment, Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group or Inc. Stock?
Overall, Portland General Electric Company stock has a Momentum Score of 43, Estimate Revisions Score of 26 and Quality Score of 42.
NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. stock has a Momentum Score of 67, Estimate Revisions Score of 39 and Quality Score of 38.
Comparing Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy Group and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.
Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.
A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.
AAII Disclaimer
We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.
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