Contrasting Alternus Clean Energy (NASDAQ:ALCE) and WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC)

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

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Alternus Clean Energy and WEC Energy Group, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Alternus Clean Energy	0	0	0	0	0.00
WEC Energy Group	3	4	4	0	2.09

WEC Energy Group has a consensus target price of $94.45, suggesting a potential downside of 1.62%. Given WEC Energy Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe WEC Energy Group is more favorable than Alternus Clean Energy.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

77.2% of WEC Energy Group shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of Alternus Clean Energy shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of WEC Energy Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Alternus Clean Energy and WEC Energy Group”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Alternus Clean Energy	$16.25 million	0.47	-$69.46 million	N/A	N/A
WEC Energy Group	$8.53 billion	3.56	$1.33 billion	$4.09	23.47

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

Profitability

This table compares Alternus Clean Energy and WEC 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
WEC Energy Group	15.14%	11.72%	3.24%

Volatility and Risk

Alternus Clean Energy has a beta of -0.53, indicating that its share price is 153% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, WEC Energy Group has a beta of 0.44, indicating that its share price is 56% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

WEC Energy Group beats Alternus Clean Energy on 12 of the 12 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 WEC Energy Group

WEC Energy Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides regulated natural gas and electricity, and renewable and nonregulated renewable energy services in the United States. It operates through Wisconsin, Illinois, Other States, Electric Transmission, and Non-Utility Energy Infrastructure segments. The company generates and distributes electricity from coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear, as well as renewable energy resources, including wind, solar, hydroelectric, and biomass; and distributes and transports natural gas. It also owns, maintains, monitors, and operates electric transmission systems; and generates, distributes, and sells steam. As of December 31, 2023, the company operated approximately 35,500 miles of overhead distribution lines and 36,500 miles of underground distribution cables, as well as 430 electric distribution substations and 523,700 line transformers; approximately 46,400 miles of natural gas distribution mains; 1,700 miles of natural gas transmission mains; 2.4 million natural gas lateral services; 490 natural gas distribution and transmission gate stations; and 69.3 billion cubic feet of working gas capacities in underground natural gas storage fields. The company was formerly known as Wisconsin Energy Corporation and changed its name to WEC Energy Group, Inc. in June 2015. WEC Energy Group, Inc. was founded in 1896 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.