vs

Side-by-side financial comparison of NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (NWE) and VNET Group, Inc. (VNET). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($414.3M vs $362.7M, roughly 1.1× VNET Group, Inc.). NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. runs the higher net margin — 10.8% vs -10.7%, a 21.5% gap on every dollar of revenue. NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($-93.7M vs $-193.1M). Over the past eight quarters, VNET Group, Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (17.4% CAGR vs -6.6%).

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. is a utility company that serves South Dakota, Nebraska, and Montana that is based in Sioux Falls. As of 2019, the company serves approximately 718,000 customers. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Sioux Falls while the headquarters for the South Dakota operations are in Huron, South Dakota.

VNET Group, Inc. is a leading neutral internet data center service provider operating primarily in China. It offers cloud computing infrastructure, colocation services, managed network solutions, and hybrid cloud support to enterprise clients across technology, finance, and retail sectors, enabling stable, high-performance digital operation foundations for domestic and global businesses expanding in the Chinese market.

NWE vs VNET — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
NWE
NWE
1.1× larger
NWE
$414.3M
$362.7M
VNET
Higher net margin
NWE
NWE
21.5% more per $
NWE
10.8%
-10.7%
VNET
More free cash flow
NWE
NWE
$99.3M more FCF
NWE
$-93.7M
$-193.1M
VNET
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
VNET
VNET
Annualised
VNET
17.4%
-6.6%
NWE

Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q3 FY2025

Metric
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Revenue
$414.3M
$362.7M
Net Profit
$44.7M
$-38.7M
Gross Margin
20.9%
Operating Margin
14.5%
0.5%
Net Margin
10.8%
-10.7%
Revenue YoY
10.9%
Net Profit YoY
-44.5%
EPS (diluted)
$0.72

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Q4 25
$414.3M
Q3 25
$387.0M
$362.7M
Q2 25
$342.7M
Q1 25
$466.6M
$309.5M
Q4 24
$373.5M
Q3 24
$345.2M
$302.2M
Q2 24
$319.9M
$274.4M
Q1 24
$475.3M
$262.9M
Net Profit
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Q4 25
$44.7M
Q3 25
$38.2M
$-38.7M
Q2 25
$21.2M
Q1 25
$76.9M
$-2.4M
Q4 24
$80.6M
Q3 24
$46.8M
$-2.1M
Q2 24
$31.7M
$-1.1M
Q1 24
$65.1M
$-22.0M
Gross Margin
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Q4 25
Q3 25
20.9%
Q2 25
Q1 25
25.2%
Q4 24
Q3 24
23.2%
Q2 24
21.3%
Q1 24
21.6%
Operating Margin
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Q4 25
14.5%
Q3 25
20.7%
0.5%
Q2 25
17.7%
Q1 25
26.7%
0.1%
Q4 24
24.6%
Q3 24
19.7%
24.5%
Q2 24
19.3%
0.2%
Q1 24
21.5%
0.2%
Net Margin
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Q4 25
10.8%
Q3 25
9.9%
-10.7%
Q2 25
6.2%
Q1 25
16.5%
-0.8%
Q4 24
21.6%
Q3 24
13.6%
-0.7%
Q2 24
9.9%
-0.4%
Q1 24
13.7%
-8.4%
EPS (diluted)
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Q4 25
$0.72
Q3 25
$0.62
Q2 25
$0.35
Q1 25
$1.25
Q4 24
$1.31
Q3 24
$0.76
Q2 24
$0.52
Q1 24
$1.06

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$8.8M
$492.1M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$3.3B
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$2.9B
$890.8M
Total Assets
$8.5B
$6.1B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
1.14×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Q4 25
$8.8M
Q3 25
$6.2M
$492.1M
Q2 25
$2.9M
Q1 25
$56.0M
$544.3M
Q4 24
$4.3M
Q3 24
$2.5M
$219.5M
Q2 24
$6.4M
$247.2M
Q1 24
$4.2M
$246.9M
Total Debt
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Q4 25
$3.3B
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
$3.0B
Q3 24
$1.2B
Q2 24
Q1 24
Stockholders' Equity
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Q4 25
$2.9B
Q3 25
$2.9B
$890.8M
Q2 25
$2.9B
Q1 25
$2.9B
$927.8M
Q4 24
$2.9B
Q3 24
$2.8B
$902.9M
Q2 24
$2.8B
$900.6M
Q1 24
$2.8B
$895.1M
Total Assets
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Q4 25
$8.5B
Q3 25
$8.3B
$6.1B
Q2 25
$8.1B
Q1 25
$8.1B
$5.4B
Q4 24
$8.0B
Q3 24
$7.9B
$4.3B
Q2 24
$7.7B
$4.0B
Q1 24
$7.6B
$3.9B
Debt / Equity
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Q4 25
1.14×
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
1.05×
Q3 24
1.28×
Q2 24
Q1 24

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$56.2M
$113.8M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$-93.7M
$-193.1M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
-22.6%
-53.2%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
36.2%
84.6%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
1.26×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$-130.0M
$-589.7M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Q4 25
$56.2M
Q3 25
$126.7M
$113.8M
Q2 25
$58.2M
Q1 25
$153.4M
$27.0M
Q4 24
$62.8M
Q3 24
$120.0M
$108.3M
Q2 24
$62.3M
$55.8M
Q1 24
$161.7M
$37.1M
Free Cash Flow
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Q4 25
$-93.7M
Q3 25
$-26.9M
$-193.1M
Q2 25
$-70.6M
Q1 25
$61.3M
$-220.0M
Q4 24
$-85.9M
Q3 24
$-33.2M
$-95.0M
Q2 24
$-76.3M
$-81.6M
Q1 24
$52.9M
$-102.2M
FCF Margin
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Q4 25
-22.6%
Q3 25
-6.9%
-53.2%
Q2 25
-20.6%
Q1 25
13.1%
-71.1%
Q4 24
-23.0%
Q3 24
-9.6%
-31.4%
Q2 24
-23.9%
-29.8%
Q1 24
11.1%
-38.9%
Capex Intensity
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Q4 25
36.2%
Q3 25
39.7%
84.6%
Q2 25
37.6%
Q1 25
19.7%
79.8%
Q4 24
39.8%
Q3 24
44.4%
67.3%
Q2 24
43.3%
50.1%
Q1 24
22.9%
53.0%
Cash Conversion
NWE
NWE
VNET
VNET
Q4 25
1.26×
Q3 25
3.31×
Q2 25
2.74×
Q1 25
1.99×
Q4 24
0.78×
Q3 24
2.56×
Q2 24
1.97×
Q1 24
2.48×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

NWE
NWE

Electricity Us Regulated$315.3M76%
Other Tariff Based Revenue$50.5M12%
Transmission Customers$28.4M7%
Industrial Customers$11.0M3%
Other Customers$6.1M1%

VNET
VNET

Segment breakdown not available.

Related Comparisons