AES Corp vs Riot Platforms Inc — how do they compare? AES Corp trades at $14.73 (market cap $10.49B), while Riot Platforms Inc trades at $20.49 (market cap $7.59B). The key difference: AES Corp is the larger of the two by market cap, and AES Corp pays a 4.79% dividend while Riot Platforms Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AES | RIOT | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $10.49B | $7.59B |
Sector | Utilities | Technology |
52-Week High | $17.28 | $28.67 |
52-Week Low | $12.51 | $11.33 |
Enterprise Value | $40.75B | $8.00B |
Dividend Yield | 4.79% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
AES trades at $14.73, unchanged on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and a pending acquisition by Global Infrastructure Partners and EQT at $15 per share. The company reported revenue of $12.23B in 2025, with a net income margin of 7.43%, and has beaten earnings estimates in two of the last three quarters. Valuation ratios appear attractive with a P/E of 5.51 and P/S of 0.81, while cash flow from operations improved to $4.31B in 2025.
The outlook is dominated by the acquisition, offering a capped upside to $15. Strong profitability metrics like a 45.05% ROE and a 4.8% dividend yield provide support, but risks include shareholder litigation and regulatory scrutiny over the deal. Analyst sentiment is mixed with 42.86% buy ratings, reflecting uncertainty until transaction closure.
RIOT Platforms trades at $20.90, up 7.73% in the last 24 hours, following the announcement of a landmark $9.1 billion, 20-year AI data center deal with Anthropic. Despite this positive news, the technical outlook remains bearish, and the company continues to report significant net losses, with a net income margin of -196.28% for 2026. Analyst sentiment is overwhelmingly positive, with a consensus price target of $33.40 representing substantial upside potential.
The stock presents a high-risk, high-reward opportunity. The transformative AI deal offers a clear long-term growth catalyst, but investors must weigh this against persistent unprofitability and negative cash flows. The key risk is the company's ability to execute its strategic pivot to AI infrastructure while managing its financial losses.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
AES is a global power company operating across 14 countries and 4 continents. Its current generation portfolio as of year-end 2021 consists of over 31 gigawatts of generation, with the generation mix composed of renewables (43%), gas (32%), coal (23%), and oil (2%). The company has 3.5 gigawatts of generation under construction. AES has majority ownership and operates six electric utilities distributing power to 2.6 million customers.
Read more on AES →Riot Platforms, Inc. is a Bitcoin mining company that focuses on building, operating, and expanding large-scale infrastructure for digital asset mining in North America. The company's operations include Bitcoin mining, data center hosting, and engineering solutions. Riot's strategy emphasizes vertical integration to maximize efficiency and scale its mining capacity, aiming to be a leader in the global Bitcoin and digital infrastructure industry.
Read more on RIOT →