Which Is a Better Investment, Plains GP Holdings, L.P. or Talos Energy Inc. Stock?

By Jenna Brashear
December 06, 2025
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Sifting through countless of stocks in the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels 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 Plains GP Holdings, L.P. or Talos Energy 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 Plains GP Holdings, L.P. and Talos Energy Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Plains GP Holdings, L.P. and Talos Energy Inc.

Plains GP Holdings, L.P., through its subsidiary, Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., owns and operates midstream infrastructure systems in the United States and Canada. The company operates in two segments, Crude Oil and Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs). It engages in the gathering and transporting crude oil using pipelines, trucks, and barges or railcars, as well as providing terminalling, storage, and other related services. The company is also involved in the natural gas processing and NGL fractionation, storage, transportation, and terminalling activities. PAA GP Holdings LLC operates as a general partner of the company. Plains GP Holdings, L.P. was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Talos Energy Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States and Mexico. It also engages in the development of carbon capture and sequestration. The company was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Latest Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels and Plains GP Holdings, L.P., Talos Energy Inc. Stock News

As of December 5, 2025, Plains GP Holdings, L.P. had a $3.7 billion market capitalization, compared to the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels median of $2.0 million. Plains GP Holdings, L.P.’s stock is up 2.8% in 2025, up 1.9% in the previous five trading days and down 5.22% in the past year.

Currently, Plains GP Holdings, L.P.’s price-earnings ratio is 60.2. Plains GP Holdings, L.P.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $46.9 billion with a 0.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -7.0%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $1.695 per share for the current fiscal year. Plains GP Holdings, L.P. currently has a 8.0% dividend yield.

As of December 5, 2025, Talos Energy Inc. had a $2.0 billion market cap, putting it in the 56th percentile of all stocks. Talos Energy Inc.’s stock is up 22% in 2025, up 3.4% in the previous five trading days and up 7.63% in the past year.

Currently, Talos Energy Inc. does not have a price-earnings ratio. Talos Energy Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.9 billion with a -19.0% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -11.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $-0.917 per share for the current fiscal year. Talos Energy Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare Plains GP Holdings, L.P. and Talos Energy 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 Plains GP Holdings, L.P. and Talos Energy Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Plains GP Holdings, L.P. and Talos Energy Inc. Growth Grades

Company Ticker Growth
Plains GP Holdings, L.P. PAGP B
Talos Energy Inc. TALO C

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Plains GP Holdings, L.P. has a Growth Score of 72, which is Strong. Talos Energy Inc. has a Growth Score of 50, which is Average.

The Growth Grade Winner: Plains GP Holdings, L.P.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Plains GP Holdings, L.P. has a more attractive growth grade than Talos Energy Inc.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Plains GP Holdings, L.P. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Plains GP Holdings, L.P. and Talos Energy Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company Ticker Quality
Plains GP Holdings, L.P. PAGP D
Talos Energy Inc. TALO B

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.

Plains GP Holdings, L.P. has a Quality Score of 39, which is Weak. Talos Energy Inc. has a Quality Score of 72, which is Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: Talos Energy Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Quality Grade breakdown above, Talos Energy Inc. has a better overall quality grade than Plains GP Holdings, L.P.. For investors who are looking for companies with higher quality than others in the same industry, Talos Energy Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolios. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Plains GP Holdings, L.P. and Talos Energy Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
Plains GP Holdings, L.P. PAGP B
Talos Energy Inc. TALO B

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.

Plains GP Holdings, L.P. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 70, which is Positive. Talos Energy Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 67, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, both Plains GP Holdings, L.P. and Talos Energy Inc. have a grade of B. For those focusing solely on a company’s estimate revisions, other financial metrics will need to be evaluated to determine whether Plains GP Holdings, L.P. or Talos Energy Inc. is a better fit.

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Other Plains GP Holdings, L.P. and Talos Energy Inc. Grades

In addition to Growth, Estimate Revisions and Quality, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Momentum.

Invest with Confidence with A+ Investor

AAII’s expansive and robust screening tools like A+ Investor help investors make confident decisions.

Momentum grades help 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.

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 Plains GP Holdings, L.P. and Talos Energy Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Plains GP Holdings, L.P. or Talos Energy Inc. Stock?

Overall, Plains GP Holdings, L.P. stock has a Growth Score of 72, Estimate Revisions Score of 70 and Quality Score of 39.

Talos Energy Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 50, Estimate Revisions Score of 67 and Quality Score of 72.

Comparing Plains GP Holdings, L.P. and Talos Energy 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.

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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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