Algonquin Power & Utilities Cor AQN

Competitive advantage analysis · utilities

Regulated Utilities
Overall moat score
42/100
Developing

About Algonquin Power & Utilities Cor

Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. operates in the power and utility industries. The company owns and operates a portfolio of regulated electric, water distribution and wastewater collection, and natural gas utility systems and transmission operations. As of December 31, 2024, it operated a portfolio of regulated utility systems in the United States, Canada, Bermuda, and Chile serving approximately 1,265,000 customer … Full AQN analysis →

Competitive advantage assessment

Key strengths

  • Best-in-Class Cost Discipline Operational cost discipline is strong (score 0.71), supporting margin quality.
  • Improving Operational Efficiency Efficiency trend is positive (score 0.79), suggesting ongoing operational improvement.

Key risks

  • Below-Allowed ROE Return on equity is weak vs peers (score 0.26), implying the company may not be earning its allowed return.
  • Volatile Rate-Base Returns ROE stability is poor (score 0.17), reflecting inconsistent regulatory outcomes.

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

Upgrade to unlock the signals and evidence behind each defense.

Premium access

Unlock full defense analysis

Get key signals, strengths, and risks for every moat dimension.

Upgrade to Premium Unlock all moat defenses and evidence.

Regulatory Franchise

Moderate
60

Where AQN ranks in Utilities - Diversified

Algonquin Power & Utilities Cor ranks #11 of 13 scored companies in Utilities - Diversified by moat score — the top 85%. The widest moat in the group is Brookfield Infrastructure Partn (BIP) at 69/100.

Moat scores for companies ranked near AQN in Utilities - Diversified
# Company Moat score Rating
5 Allete, Inc. ALE 56/100 Moderate
6 Avista Corporation AVA 54/100 Moderate
7 Comp En De Mn Cemig CIG 54/100 Moderate
8 DBA Sempra SRE 52/100 Moderate
9 Companhia Paranaense de Energia ELP 49/100 Developing
10 Companhia Paranaense de Energia ELPC 43/100 Developing
11 Algonquin Power & Utilities Cor AQN 42/100 Developing
12 The AES Corporation AES 39/100 Developing
13 Montauk Renewables, Inc. MNTK 21/100 Weak

See every Regulated Utilities company ranked by moat score →

How AQN scores on the Regulated Utilities defenses

Regulatory Franchise

Score 60 · 25% of the moat score

The franchise is the moat, granted rather than earned: an exclusive right to serve a territory in exchange for regulated prices and an obligation to supply.

Rate-Base Return Quality

Score 20 · 20% of the moat score

A utility earns an allowed return on the capital invested in its network, the rate base.

Dividend Sustainability

Score 37 · 18% of the moat score

Utilities are owned largely for income, and the dividend is only as safe as the operating cash flow behind it.

Capital Structure Discipline

Score 19 · 17% of the moat score

Regulated utilities carry more debt than almost any other sector, which suits how predictable their revenue is but makes credit quality a core competitive asset.

Operational Efficiency

Score 76 · 12% of the moat score

Efficiency is unusually consequential under regulation.

Essential Service Resilience

Score 28 · 8% of the moat score

Electricity, gas and water are bought in a recession at close to the volume bought in an expansion, which is why utility revenue barely tracks the economic cycle.

How each Regulated Utilities defense is measured, in full →

Understanding AQN's moat

What is Algonquin Power & Utilities Cor's moat score?

Algonquin Power & Utilities Cor (AQN) scores 42 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as developing. It ranks #11 of 13 scored companies in Utilities - Diversified, the top 85%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 14 companies in Utilities - Diversified. Its strongest defense is Operational Efficiency (76/100) and its weakest is Capital Structure Discipline (19/100).

How does Algonquin Power & Utilities Cor compare with other Utilities - Diversified companies?

Algonquin Power & Utilities Cor ranks #11 of 13 scored companies in Utilities - Diversified by moat score. The widest moat in Utilities - Diversified is Brookfield Infrastructure Partn (BIP) at 69/100. The companies ranked closest are Companhia Paranaense de Energia (ELPC) at 42 just above it and The AES Corporation (AES) at 39 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Regulated Utilities in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 14 companies in Utilities - Diversified. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is Algonquin Power & Utilities Cor scored with the Regulated Utilities template?

A regulated utility is a legal monopoly whose prices are set by a regulator rather than by a market. It cannot raise prices at will and it cannot be undercut, so most of the usual questions about competitive advantage barely apply. What matters is the quality of the regulatory bargain: whether the company earns the return it is allowed, funds its capital programme cheaply, and sustains the dividend investors own it for.

Which competitive defenses are measured for Algonquin Power & Utilities Cor?

The Regulated Utilities template measures 6 defenses, and AQN scores: Regulatory Franchise (60), Rate-Base Return Quality (20), Dividend Sustainability (37), Capital Structure Discipline (19), Operational Efficiency (76), Essential Service Resilience (28). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

Send Feedback
Please select a category.
0/1000