Framework Journal · one stock, one dated entry

Recorded 2026-07-30 · Permanent

AES Corporation logoAES Corporation AES

Outside both standards

An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.

In plain words · The AES Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a power generation and utility company.

The label
Accumulation

read at $14.85

AES Corporation holds its Accumulation at $14.85.

PHINPOOPSC
  • PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Accumulation label
  • INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
  • POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
  • OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
  • SCScreen · does not pass the values gate
  • edge confirmed
  • edge broken
  • edge forming

Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.

The investor read · the season, not the day

As held on the ledger · 2026-07-30
PhaseAccumulation
Quantitative stateThe statistical read favours the buyers, held for 36 days
Price$14.85
Valuation7.73 trailing · 6.24 forward price to earnings
Values screenFAIL · score 10.0
Beta0.94

The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth

Our framework reads AVOID — it trades at roughly a 1% discount to our $15.00 fair value, narrow competitive moat, 8.70% revenue growth.

Read at
$14.85
7.73 P/E · 6.24 fwd
Our fair value
$15.00
1% discount
Analyst target (avg)
$15.00
+1% to current

Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going

$22.1$16.0$9.9TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONConservative$15.00 +2%Analyst avg$15.00 +2%Our fair value$15.00 +2%Analyst high$15.00 +2%

The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street

Current
$14.85
you are here
Conservative
$15.00
+1%
Analyst avg
$15.00
+1%
Our fair value
$15.00
+1%
Analyst high
$15.00
+1%

Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.

Reading the gap · Our model and the Street both land near today's price — fairly valued, with no strong edge either way.

Revenue growth8.70%
Profit margin10.82%
Debt to equity259.60
Analyst consensusHold · 8 covering

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English

This company is excluded by both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. It fails on both:

The common standard · AAOIFI
Used by most halal investing apps
✗ DOES NOT PASS
Our stricter standard · asset-based
The one Titan applies
✗ DOES NOT PASS

Why it fails. The problem is its debt ratio. Because both standards agree on this, it is a clear exclusion, not a borderline case.

What these two standards are, and how they differ →

  • Business activity Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines — no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. Pass
  • Debt load Interest-bearing debt is 57.8% of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. Fail
  • Interest-bearing cash Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 1.9% of assets, under the one-third limit. Pass
  • Receivables Money owed to the company is 5.9% of assets, under the 49% limit. Pass
  • Revenue purity Only 2.3% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources — under the 5% line. Pass

Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.

The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean

Utility runs on borrowed money

Power plants humming across continents still need real cash flow, not just borrowed fuel. AES trades at 6.2 times forward earnings with 9 percent revenue growth, yet it fails our ethical screen on its debt ratio and posts only 5 percent return on equity behind a narrow moat. We pass.

The low multiple mirrors thin profitability and the heavy leverage that leaves little room for error when interest rates or fuel costs shift. Eight analysts sit on hold with a 15 dollar median target barely above the current price.

We stay away because the ethical screen exists for exactly these cases. Analysis, not advice.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E6.2x
cheap for a company growing this fast
Trailing P/E7.7x
very cheap relative to earnings
Revenue growth8.7%
steady growth
Profit margin10.8%
thin but positive margins
Return on equity5.3%
a modest return on shareholder capital
Debt to equity2.60
heavy leverage — higher risk if revenue softens
Current ratio0.73
below 1 — short-term bills exceed liquid assets
Beta0.94
steadier than the market
Market cap$10.6B
Employees8,336

The risks · The things to watch: it carries a real debt load, which raises the stakes if revenue slips.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Related securities · others in AES's space worth a look

Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.

Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are

AES trades on a US exchange. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.

The trader read · the latest dated commentary

The framework reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 0.7% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 5% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are up 37%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 22%. The street (9 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $15. Entered 2026-07-20 · Accumulation

The dated journal · newest first, never edited

2026-07-20 Accumulation $14.77 +0.7% Entry 5

The framework reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 0.7% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 5% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are up 37%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 22%. The street (9 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $15.

2026-07-18 Accumulation $14.67 +0.0% Entry 4

The framework reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 5% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are up 37%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 22%. The street (9 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $15.

2026-07-16 Accumulation $14.67 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 5% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are up 37%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 22%. The street (9 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $15.

2026-07-03 Accumulation $14.67 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Accumulation $14.67 Entry 1

The framework reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

The insider ledger · Form 4 filings, as filed

Most recent filings · AES
DateInsiderTitleTypeSharesValue
2026-04-23 FREEDMAN PAUL L. General Counsel 44,483 ·
2026-04-23 RUBIOLO JUAN IGNACIO Officer 48,276 ·
2026-04-23 COUGHLIN STEPHEN Chief Financial Officer 50,345 ·
2026-04-23 MENDOZA TISH Officer 46,552 ·
2026-02-20 FREEDMAN PAUL L. General Counsel 53,636 ·
2026-02-20 RUBIOLO JUAN IGNACIO Officer 70,269 ·
2026-02-20 KOHAN SHERRY Officer 21,250 ·
2026-02-20 COUGHLIN STEPHEN Chief Financial Officer 76,535 ·
2026-02-20 FALU RICARDO MANUEL Officer 148,259 ·
2026-02-20 MENDOZA TISH Officer 60,568 ·

Public filings, recorded as found. The full tape lives at Insider Intelligence.

The political ledger · congressional disclosures

Disclosures naming AES
DatePoliticianPartyTypeAmount
13 May2026 Chip Roy Republican sell 100K–250K

What holding actually paid · price plus dividends

If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $14.35 +2.2% · $1,022 +2.2%
2 months $14.21 +3.2% $0.18 $1,044 +4.4%
3 months $14.05 +4.4% $0.18 $1,057 +5.7%
6 months $13.67 +7.3% $0.35 $1,099 +9.9%
1 year $10.74 +36.6% $0.70 $1,432 +43.2%
2 years $18.37 -20.1% $1.40 $875 -12.5%
3 years $17.42 -15.8% $2.08 $962 -3.8%
5 years $21.27 -31.0% $3.35 $847 -15.3%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever AES does next, these words stay.

AES Corporation · AES · Accumulation · $14.85
Recorded 2026-07-30 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

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