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BE vs. BLDP: Which Clean Energy Stock Has Stronger Growth Potential?

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Key Takeaways

  • Bloom Energy's 2026 and 2027 EPS estimates imply growth of 255.26% and 80.56%, respectively.
  • BE's ROIC is 11.05% and net margin is 11.56%, versus Ballard Power's negative readings.
  • Bloom Energy's shares rallied 93.1% in six months, while Ballard Power's shares declined 11.5%.

Hydrogen fuel cell technology is gaining traction as a promising long-term investment theme as governments and industries accelerate efforts to reduce emissions across the energy and transportation sectors. Fuel cells offer zero-emission operation, strong efficiency and fast refueling, making them suitable for applications such as heavy-duty transportation, maritime operations, aviation and industrial power. Supportive policies, including subsidies, carbon-pricing initiatives and national hydrogen programs, are also helping reduce costs and promote broader commercialization.
 
Growth prospects are further supported by improvements in electrolyzer technology, declining renewable energy costs and continued expansion of hydrogen infrastructure. As green hydrogen production increases, fuel cell solutions are expected to become more economically competitive. These developments could strengthen the technology’s role in the global energy transition and create sustained growth opportunities for companies operating across the hydrogen value chain.

As the transition toward cleaner energy accelerates and new power-generation technologies gain traction, companies such as Bloom Energy (BE - Free Report) and Ballard Power Systems (BLDP - Free Report) are drawing increasing attention for their roles in advancing low-emission energy solutions.

Bloom Energy is positioned to benefit from growing demand for reliable, lower-carbon on-site power generation. Its solid-oxide fuel cell technology provides efficient electricity while helping customers reduce reliance on increasingly constrained power grids. Rising interest in hydrogen, supportive clean-energy policies and continued development of Bloom Energy’s electrolyzer platform could further strengthen its long-term growth prospects. Increasing power demand from data centers and corporations seeking dependable, cleaner energy solutions may also expand opportunities for the company.

Ballard Power Systems, meanwhile, remains focused on proton exchange membrane (“PEM”) fuel cell technology aimed at decarbonizing heavy-duty transportation. Its fuel-cell solutions are designed for applications across buses, trucks, rail and marine markets, where electrification can be more challenging. Continued product innovation and improvements in PEM technology may strengthen Ballard Power Systems’ competitive position. At the same time, broader hydrogen adoption, infrastructure expansion and potential cost reductions could support future demand for its fuel-cell systems and create longer-term growth opportunities.

BE & BLDP’s Earnings Estimates

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BE’s earnings per share in 2026 and 2027 implies a year-over-year increase of 255.26% and 80.56%, respectively.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The same for BLDP’s earnings per share in 2026 and 2027 indicates a year-over-year rise of 43.33% and 41.18%, respectively.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Earnings Surprise

Bloom Energy, due to rising demand for its products, has delivered strong performance and its earnings have surpassed estimates in the past four quarters, resulting in an average surprise of 164.1%.

Ballard Power Systems’ earnings also beat estimates in three out of the past four quarters and missed once, resulting in an average negative surprise of 2.3%.

Return on Invested Capital

The return on invested capital (“ROIC”) measures how well a company generates returns on the money it invests. ROIC is a key indicator of a company's profitability and operational efficiency.
 
BE’s current ROIC is 11.05% against BLDP’s negative 12.2%. It indicates BE is using the funds more efficiently than BLDP.

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Net Profit Margin

Net profit margin measures how efficiently a company converts revenues into profit after all expenses, offering insight into its overall profitability and financial health.
Bloom Energy's net margin TTM is 11.56%, while Ballard Power Systems’ net margin TTM is negative 72.76%.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Valuation

Bloom Energy’s shares are trading at a premium compared with Ballard Power Systems’ shares on a Price/Sales F12M basis.

BE’s shares are presently trading at P/S F12M of 13.72X compared with BLDP’s 5.04X.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Price Performance

In the past six months, shares of Ballard Power Systems have lost 11.5% against Bloom Energy’s rally of 93.1%.

Price Performance (Six months)

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Wrapping up

Bloom Energy continues to deliver resilient performance, driven by growing demand for clean energy and its ability to provide fast, reliable power solutions. Demand for its offerings could strengthen further as the company supplies tailored clean energy systems directly to customers, helping reduce dependence on conventional transmission and distribution networks.

Although Ballard Power Systems currently trades at a more attractive valuation than Bloom Energy, the factors discussed above suggest that the latter offers a stronger investment proposition amid the ongoing clean-energy transition. Bloom Energy’s more favorable earnings estimate revisions, higher return on invested capital, stronger share-price performance and healthier net margin further strengthen its investment case relative to Ballard Power Systems.

Bloom Energy currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Ballard Power Systems has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

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