Bloom Energy Outpaces Industry in a Year: How to Play the Stock?

Shares of Bloom Energy BE have skyrocketed 375.6% in the past year compared with the Zacks Alternative Energy - Other industry’s rally of 57%. The company has also outperformed the Zacks Oil & Energy sector’s return of 5.9%  and the S&P 500’s rally of 17.8% in the same time frame.

Another industry player, Talen Energy Corporation TLN has gained a whopping 160.5% in the past year, outperforming its industry, the sector and the S&P 500.
 
Bloom Energy is benefiting from the rising demand for clean power from artificial intelligence-based data centers and customers turning to distributed energy solutions to avoid transmission and distribution bottlenecks.

Price Performance (1 Year)

Bloom Energy is trading above its 50 and 200-day simple moving averages (SMAs), signaling a bullish trend. The 50-day and 200-day SMA is a key indicator for traders and analysts to identify support and resistance levels. It is considered particularly important, as this is the first marker of an uptrend or downtrend of the stocks.

BE 50 & 200 Day SMAs

Should you consider adding BE to your portfolio only based on positive price movements? Let us delve deeper and find out the factors that can help investors decide whether it is a good entry point to add the stock to their portfolio.

Factors Acting in Favor of Bloom Energy

Per a study from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation in 2024, peak power demand is expected to grow by 151 gigawatts (“GW”) over the next 10 years. Bloom Energy can capitalize on the rising demand for clean energy by delivering low-carbon energy through its proprietary solid oxide fuel cell technology.
 
Demand for clean, dependable power is soaring from artificial intelligence-based data centers, crypto-mining operations and re-shoring of some manufacturing in the United States. Bloom Energy’s Energy Server platform delivers dependable, clean and economical power solutions for both businesses and utilities. Leveraging proprietary solid oxide technology, it produces electricity through the electrochemical conversion of fuels, without relying on combustion.

As power demand continues to exceed supply, a shortage of transmission and distribution lines can be noticed. Bloom Energy’s Energy Server system is highly versatile, capable of operating in parallel with the grid by connecting directly to a customer’s main electrical feed, and it removes losses typically seen in centralized grid systems. The modular design of Bloom Energy’s solution allows multiple Energy Server systems to be clustered in different configurations, delivering scalable power capacity ranging from a few hundred kilowatts to several hundred megawatts.

Utilities are increasingly adopting distributed energy solutions to accelerate customer access to power. In 2024, Bloom Energy secured several utility agreements and anticipates broader adoption ahead. Utilities are expected to deploy the Bloom Energy Server either as a front-of-the-meter solution serving entire rate bases or as on-site generation for individual customers. 

With its cost-effective offering, Bloom Energy is well-positioned to see growing demand for its services and reduce customers’ time to power.

BE’s Earnings Estimates Move Up

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Bloom Energy’s earnings per share for both 2025 and 2026 increased 14.29% in the last 60 days.

Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Talen Energy’s 2025 and 2026 earnings per share implies year-over-year increases of 18.43% and 38%, respectively.

BE Stock Returns Better Than Its Industry

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. The ROIC of the company indicates that it is investing money more efficiently than its peers in the industry.

Bloom Energy’s ROIC has outperformed the industry average in the trailing 12 months. ROIC of BE was 4.62% compared with the industry average of 1.83%.

Another company operating in the same industry, Ormat Technologies’ ORA ROIC of 4.56% is better than that of its industry.

BE is Utilizing More Debts Than Its Peers

The debt-to-capital of Bloom Energy currently stands at 69.05% compared with its industry average of 43.89%.

Like Bloom Energy, Ormat Technologies is using higher debt to run its operations. The debt-to-capital of Ormat Technologies is 48.67%, higher than its industry average.

Wrapping Up

Bloom Energy maintains steady performance, supported by increasing demand for clean energy and its ability to provide quick energy solutions to customers. The demand for Bloom Energy’s service is going to rise as it can provide clean energy per customer needs, bypassing the requirements of transmission and distribution lines.
 
Bloom Energy’s rising earnings estimates, strong price performance and ROIC better than the industry make it attractive for investors.

However, considering the high debt level of the company, we suggest investors maintain their position in this Zacks Rank#3 (Hold) stock.

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

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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