NRG Energy (NRG) Competitors $169.22 -0.71 (-0.42%) Closing price 03:59 PM EasternExtended Trading$168.74 -0.48 (-0.28%) As of 04:01 PM Eastern Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Polygon.io. Learn more. Add Compare Share Share Competitors Stock AnalysisAnalyst ForecastsChartCompetitorsDividendEarningsFinancialsHeadlinesInsider TradesOptions ChainOwnershipSEC FilingsShort InterestSustainabilityTrendsBuy This Stock NRG vs. DUK, ED, VST, AES, ORA, GNE, SO, NGG, AEP, and DShould you be buying NRG Energy stock or one of its competitors? The main competitors of NRG Energy include Duke Energy (DUK), Consolidated Edison (ED), Vistra (VST), AES (AES), Ormat Technologies (ORA), Genie Energy (GNE), Southern (SO), National Grid Transco (NGG), American Electric Power (AEP), and Dominion Energy (D). NRG Energy vs. Its Competitors Duke Energy Consolidated Edison Vistra AES Ormat Technologies Genie Energy Southern National Grid Transco American Electric Power Dominion Energy Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) and NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) are both large-cap utilities companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, valuation, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk and institutional ownership. Which has better earnings and valuation, DUK or NRG? Duke Energy has higher revenue and earnings than NRG Energy. Duke Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than NRG Energy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings RatioDuke Energy$30.36B3.29$4.52B$6.1520.89NRG Energy$28.13B1.17$1.13B$2.2176.81 Which has more volatility and risk, DUK or NRG? Duke Energy has a beta of 0.44, suggesting that its share price is 56% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, NRG Energy has a beta of 1.14, suggesting that its share price is 14% more volatile than the S&P 500. Do analysts rate DUK or NRG? Duke Energy presently has a consensus price target of $136.77, indicating a potential upside of 6.45%. NRG Energy has a consensus price target of $188.85, indicating a potential upside of 11.24%. Given NRG Energy's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe NRG Energy is more favorable than Duke Energy.Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Duke Energy 0 Sell rating(s) 6 Hold rating(s) 11 Buy rating(s) 0 Strong Buy rating(s) 2.65NRG Energy 0 Sell rating(s) 3 Hold rating(s) 10 Buy rating(s) 2 Strong Buy rating(s) 2.93 Is DUK or NRG more profitable? Duke Energy has a net margin of 15.51% compared to NRG Energy's net margin of 1.78%. NRG Energy's return on equity of 88.22% beat Duke Energy's return on equity.Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Duke Energy15.51% 9.85% 2.65% NRG Energy 1.78%88.22%6.80% Is DUK or NRG a better dividend stock? Duke Energy pays an annual dividend of $4.26 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. NRG Energy pays an annual dividend of $1.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. Duke Energy pays out 69.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. NRG Energy pays out 79.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Duke Energy has increased its dividend for 20 consecutive years and NRG Energy has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Duke Energy is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth. Does the media favor DUK or NRG? In the previous week, Duke Energy had 29 more articles in the media than NRG Energy. MarketBeat recorded 58 mentions for Duke Energy and 29 mentions for NRG Energy. NRG Energy's average media sentiment score of 1.35 beat Duke Energy's score of 1.04 indicating that NRG Energy is being referred to more favorably in the news media. Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment Duke Energy 36 Very Positive mention(s) 7 Positive mention(s) 4 Neutral mention(s) 1 Negative mention(s) 1 Very Negative mention(s) Positive NRG Energy 25 Very Positive mention(s) 3 Positive mention(s) 0 Neutral mention(s) 0 Negative mention(s) 0 Very Negative mention(s) Positive Do institutionals and insiders have more ownership in DUK or NRG? 65.3% of Duke Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.7% of NRG Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Duke Energy shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of NRG Energy shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. SummaryDuke Energy and NRG Energy tied by winning 10 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks. Get NRG Energy News Delivered to You Automatically Sign up to receive the latest news and ratings for NRG and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter. Subscribe Now View SMS TermsBy entering your phone number and clicking the sign-up button, you agree to receive periodic text messages from MarketBeat at the phone number you submitted, including texts that may be sent using an automatic telephone dialing system. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency will vary. Messages will consist of stock alerts, news stories, and partner advertisements/offers. Consent is not a condition of the purchase of any goods or services. Text HELP for help/customer support. Unsubscribe at any time by replying "STOP" to any text message that you receive from MarketBeat or by visiting our mailing preferences page. Read our full terms of service and privacy policy. New MarketBeat Followers Over TimeWhat are MarkeBeat Followers?This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding NRG and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period. Skip ChartMedia Sentiment Over TimeWhat is Media Sentiment?This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.Skip Chart NRG vs. The Competition Export to ExcelMetricNRG EnergyUTIL IndustryUtilities SectorNYSE ExchangeMarket Cap$32.83B$26.94B$17.12B$21.74BDividend Yield1.03%3.45%4.60%3.59%P/E Ratio76.8019.7458.1632.45Price / Sales1.174.5732.8380.95Price / Cash10.999.4119.3224.53Price / Book18.822.412.294.59Net Income$1.13B$1.43B$748.50M$1.01B7 Day Performance5.66%3.23%1.22%1.24%1 Month Performance3.20%7.21%8.86%-0.59%1 Year Performance97.39%17.61%53.92%10.45% NRG Energy Competitors List Export to ExcelCompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)NRGNRG Energy4.6767 of 5 stars$169.22-0.4%$188.85+11.6%+85.9%$32.73B$28.13B76.5715,637Positive NewsAnalyst UpgradeDUKDuke Energy4.3212 of 5 stars$126.88+1.7%$134.08+5.7%+6.4%$98.77B$30.36B20.6326,413Trending NewsDividend AnnouncementAnalyst ForecastAnalyst RevisionEDConsolidated Edison4.1085 of 5 stars$102.36+1.5%$105.75+3.3%-4.8%$36.93B$15.26B18.5815,097Trending NewsDividend AnnouncementAnalyst ForecastAnalyst RevisionVSTVistra3.9144 of 5 stars$197.17-6.1%$227.85+15.6%+54.9%$66.70B$17.22B31.456,850Analyst UpgradeInsider TradeAESAES4.9719 of 5 stars$14.07-3.4%$23.70+68.4%-17.2%$10.02B$12.28B9.919,100Trending NewsDividend AnnouncementORAOrmat Technologies4.1442 of 5 stars$103.76-2.7%$97.90-5.6%+40.0%$6.31B$879.65M48.261,512Analyst ForecastGNEGenie Energy1.3055 of 5 stars$15.29-2.2%N/A-6.7%$407.58M$456.88M109.21190News CoverageSOSouthern4.0381 of 5 stars$98.23+2.2%$96.31-2.0%+6.7%$108.12B$26.72B25.2528,600Trending NewsAnalyst ForecastAnalyst RevisionNGGNational Grid Transco2.4445 of 5 stars$74.49+1.6%$80.40+7.9%+11.4%$73.94B$18.38B14.3331,645AEPAmerican Electric Power4.565 of 5 stars$117.04+0.1%$114.50-2.2%+16.0%$62.59B$19.72B17.1116,330Trending NewsAnalyst ForecastInsider TradeAnalyst RevisionDDominion Energy3.8737 of 5 stars$60.92+1.1%$62.00+1.8%+0.2%$52.03B$14.46B21.0114,700Trending NewsAnalyst Revision Related Companies and Tools Related Companies DUK Alternatives ED Alternatives VST Alternatives AES Alternatives ORA Alternatives GNE Alternatives SO Alternatives NGG Alternatives AEP Alternatives D Alternatives Top 10 Stock Comparisons Semiconductor Stocks Artificial Intelligence Stocks Growth Stocks Magnificent Seven Stocks Pharmaceutical Stocks Ecommerce Stocks Bitcoin Stocks Meme Stocks Cryptocurrency Stocks Cybersecurity Stocks This page (NYSE:NRG) was last updated on 10/17/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff From Our PartnersYour Bank Account Is No Longer SafeWhat If Washington Declared That: YOUR Money ISN'T Actually Yours? 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