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CMS Energy vs FirstEnergy: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

CMS Energy holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across profitability and valuation. Both sides have seen trend damage — neither carries a clear market edge right now. With both trends damaged, the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

Profitability remains the main source of distance in the comparison. The overall score gap is 10 points in favour of CMS Energy Corporation.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Utilities - Regulated Electric

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. CMS and FE share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how CMS Energy and FirstEnergy each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
CMS
CMS Energy Corporation
59
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
FE
FirstEnergy Corp.
49
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: CMS vs FE Profitability 38 15 Stability 57 57 Valuation 72 58 Growth 71 79 CMS FE
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +23
#2 Valuation +14
#3 Growth +8
#4 Stability
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for CMS and FE Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer CMSFE Relative valuation Structural strength

The structural gap is limited here, but current pricing still leans against FirstEnergy Corp..

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where CMS and FE each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY CMS Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 2 pct gap FE Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 91st 88th
CMS (91st percentile) and FE (88th percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Neither side looks especially strong on profitability, though CMS Energy Corporation still ranks somewhat higher.
Valuation
Both rank well on valuation, but CMS Energy Corporation still sits higher.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
CMS
38
FE
15
Gap+23in favour of CMS

The profitability gap is clear, with the stronger side earning materially better operating marks.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

FirstEnergy Corp. still shows lower market-fundamental divergence, which keeps the wider picture mixed rather than completely one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both profitability and valuation, making it broader than a single-dimension result.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the CMS vs FE comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-and-valuation comparisons

Explore how CMS and FE each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.