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Compare Stocks › AEP vs CRM

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP) vs Salesforce, Inc. (CRM): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-06-19, AEP is overvalued at $128, with a DCF intrinsic value of $48 and a margin of safety of -165%. CRM is undervalued at $152, with an intrinsic value of $274 and a margin of safety of 45%. Of the two, CRM has the wider margin of safety.

AEP
American Electric Power Company, Inc.
$127.69
VS
CRM
Salesforce, Inc.
$151.78

Rewards

AEP
  • ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $4.57 of earning power — management is an exceptional capital allocator.
CRM
  • ★Gross margin of 77.6% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • ★Free cash flow has grown at a 31.6% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.
  • ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $5.53 of earning power — management is an exceptional capital allocator.

Risks

AEP
  • ⚠PEG ratio of 2.38 indicates the stock is expensive relative to its expected growth — the market may be pricing in more growth than analysts project.
  • ⚠High leverage (1.56x net debt/equity) combined with thin interest coverage (-1.0x) poses financial risk.
  • ⚠Net debt/EBITDA of 5.6x indicates heavy leverage — it would take over 4 years of EBITDA to pay off net debt.
CRM

    Key Valuation Metrics

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    AEP
    CRM
    Valuation
    $-6.95B
    Free Cash Flow
    $16.55B
    -10.01%
    FCF Yield
    13.32%
    18.89
    Trailing P/E
    17.57
    18.63
    Forward P/E
    9.77
    Quality & Moat
    4.96%
    ROIC
    9.61%
    12.58%
    ROE
    16.91%
    47.24%
    Gross Margin
    77.64%
    2.38
    PEG Ratio
    0.77
    Balance Sheet Safety
    1.56
    Net Debt / Equity
    0.90
    N/A
    Interest Coverage
    N/A
    5.61
    Net Debt / EBITDA
    2.38
    2.93%
    Dividend Yield
    1.09%
    AEP: 1Ties: 1CRM: 10
    AEPCRM

    Historical Fundamentals

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    AEP

    Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

    CRM

    Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

    Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

    $1 Retained Earnings Test

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    AEP
    $4.38
    created per $1 retained over 3 years
    Exceptional Value Creator
    Σ Retained
    $3.10B
    Δ Market Cap
    +$13.58B
    Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
    > $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
    CRM
    $-7.99
    created per $1 retained over 3 years
    Market Cap Declined
    Σ Retained
    $14.67B
    Δ Market Cap
    $-117.14B
    Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
    > $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

    Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
    > $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

    Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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    AEP
    165.1% Overvalued
    Price is 165.1% above estimated fair value
    Current Price: $127.69
    Fair Value: $48.16
    Strongly undervalued
    Undervalued
    Fairly valued
    Overvalued
    Strongly overvalued
    CRM
    44.5% Margin of Safety
    Price is 44.5% below estimated fair value
    Current Price: $151.78
    Fair Value: $273.71
    Strongly undervalued
    Undervalued
    Fairly valued
    Overvalued
    Strongly overvalued

    Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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    AEP

    Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

    CRM

    What growth rate is the market pricing in at $152?

    +3.6%
    Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
    Standard FCF implies -2.8%

    The market implies +3.6% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.

    Standard FCF implies a more demanding -2.8%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.

    Economic Moat Score

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    AEP
    43/100
    Narrow Moat
    70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

    Narrow moat with margin stability as the key competitive advantage. Improving reinvestment efficiency would strengthen the moat.

    Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.
    CRM
    58/100
    Narrow Moat
    70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

    Narrow moat with revenue predictability as the key competitive advantage. Improving roic consistency would strengthen the moat.

    Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

    Forensic Accounting

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    AEP
    -2.54
    Unlikely Manipulator
    Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

    M-Score Trend

    Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
    CRM
    -2.73
    Unlikely Manipulator
    Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

    M-Score Trend

    Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

    Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

    Ownership Breakdown

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    AEP
    Insiders 0.0%Institutions 82.3%Retail & Other 17.7%
    No. of Institutional Holders2,383
    High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
    CRM
    Insiders 3.0%Institutions 94.3%Retail & Other 2.8%
    No. of Institutional Holders3,722
    High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

    High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

    Insider Buying Activity

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    AEP
    0
    Buys (3M)
    0
    Buys (12M)
    No open market insider purchases found.
    Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
    CRM
    0
    Buys (3M)
    5
    Buys (12M)
    Total value (12M): $27.38M
    ALBER LAURA
    Director
    $500,266
    @ $194.58 · 2026-03-19
    KIRK DAVID BLAIR
    Director
    $500,178
    @ $194.62 · 2026-03-18
    KIRK DAVID BLAIR
    Director
    $500,722
    @ $258.64 · 2025-12-17
    MORFIT G MASON
    Director and Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
    $25.02M
    @ $260.58 · 2025-12-05
    KIRK DAVID BLAIR
    Director
    $865,827
    @ $254.66 · 2025-09-09
    Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

    Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

    Insider Selling Activity

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    AEP
    0
    Sells (3M)
    8
    Sells (12M)
    Total value (12M): $3.55M
    FERNEAU KELLY J.
    Officer
    $177,602
    @ $131.46 · 2026-02-24
    FOWKE BENJAMIN G S III
    Director
    $575,350
    @ $115.07 · 2025-12-12
    FOWKE BENJAMIN G S III
    Director
    $607,900
    @ $121.58 · 2025-11-14
    FOWKE BENJAMIN G S III
    Director
    $587,600
    @ $117.52 · 2025-10-10
    FERNEAU KELLY J.
    Officer
    $112,672
    @ $112.00 · 2025-10-02
    FOWKE BENJAMIN G S III
    Director
    $543,250
    @ $108.65 · 2025-09-12
    FERNEAU KELLY J.
    Officer
    $383,902
    @ $111.99 · 2025-08-15
    FOWKE BENJAMIN G S III
    Director
    $559,950
    @ $111.99 · 2025-08-15
    FEINBERG DAVID MATTHEW
    Officer
    $819,821
    @ $101.74 · 2025-06-17
    FEINBERG DAVID MATTHEW
    Officer
    $817,806
    @ $101.49 · 2025-06-10
    FEINBERG DAVID MATTHEW
    Officer
    $829,388
    @ $102.94 · 2025-06-03
    LIES QUINTON S
    Officer
    $1.04M
    @ $102.68 · 2025-05-19
    RISCH THERACE M
    Officer
    $516,747
    @ $97.98 · 2024-07-30
    Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
    CRM
    0
    Sells (3M)
    15
    Sells (12M)
    Total value (12M): $40.30M
    KROES NEELIE
    Director
    $929,276
    @ $238.70 · 2026-01-14
    HARRIS G PARKER
    Officer and Director
    $31.61M
    @ $234.70 · 2025-12-02
    BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
    Chief Executive Officer
    $575,140
    @ $255.62 · 2025-10-23
    BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
    Chief Executive Officer
    $590,102
    @ $262.27 · 2025-10-21
    BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
    Chief Executive Officer
    $567,631
    @ $252.28 · 2025-10-20
    BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
    Chief Executive Officer
    $550,430
    @ $244.64 · 2025-10-17
    BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
    Chief Executive Officer
    $558,810
    @ $248.36 · 2025-10-16
    BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
    Chief Executive Officer
    $536,322
    @ $238.37 · 2025-10-15
    BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
    Chief Executive Officer
    $548,796
    @ $243.91 · 2025-10-14
    BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
    Chief Executive Officer
    $1.10M
    @ $244.75 · 2025-10-13
    BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
    Chief Executive Officer
    $547,344
    @ $243.26 · 2025-10-09
    BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
    Chief Executive Officer
    $539,533
    @ $239.79 · 2025-10-08
    BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
    Chief Executive Officer
    $555,001
    @ $246.67 · 2025-09-23
    BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
    Chief Executive Officer
    $552,798
    @ $245.69 · 2025-09-19
    BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
    Chief Executive Officer
    $545,384
    @ $242.39 · 2025-09-15
    Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

    Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

    🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

    Learn more →
    AEP
    FearGreed
    😐Neutral(57/100)

    "Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

    Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
    CRM
    FearGreed
    🥶Extreme Fear(18/100)

    "Mr. Market is panicking — potential buying opportunity if fundamentals are strong"

    Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

    Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

    ⚖️ Buffett Signal

    Learn more →
    AEP
    ⚪Awaiting DCF Data

    The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

    DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (57)
    CRM
    ⚪Awaiting DCF Data

    The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

    DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Extreme Fear (18)
    View AEP Full AnalysisView CRM Full Analysis

    Frequently Asked Questions: AEP vs CRM

    Is American Electric Power Company, Inc. or Salesforce, Inc. more undervalued in 2026?▼

    Based on our discounted cash flow model, CRM trades at a 44.5% margin of safety (intrinsic value $274 vs. price $152), compared to AEP's -165.1% margin of safety (intrinsic $48 vs. $128).

    Which stock has a wider economic moat, American Electric Power Company, Inc. or Salesforce, Inc.?▼

    CRM scores 58/100 (Narrow moat), while AEP scores 43/100 (Narrow moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

    Is American Electric Power Company, Inc. in financial distress?▼

    AEP's Altman Z-Score of 0.9 places it in the Distress zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. CRM scores 2.4 (Grey zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.

    Which company has better free cash flow, American Electric Power Company, Inc. or Salesforce, Inc.?▼

    Salesforce, Inc. (CRM) generates a 13.3% free cash flow yield, compared to American Electric Power Company, Inc.'s -10.0%. A higher FCF yield means the business converts more of its market value into cash that can be returned to shareholders or reinvested.

    Which stock has higher return on invested capital, American Electric Power Company, Inc. or Salesforce, Inc.?▼

    CRM earns 9.6% ROIC versus AEP's 5.0%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.

    Which dividend is safer, American Electric Power Company, Inc.'s or Salesforce, Inc.'s?▼

    CRM's dividend earns a safety score of 88/100 (Very Safe), compared to AEP's 69/100 (Safe). CRM has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years.