NRG Energy (NRG) Competitors

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) and NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) are both large-cap utilities companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, dividends, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, media sentiment and analyst recommendations.

Does the media refer more to DUK or NRG?

In the previous week, Duke Energy had 29 more articles in the media than NRG Energy. MarketBeat recorded 54 mentions for Duke Energy and 25 mentions for NRG Energy. NRG Energy's average media sentiment score of 1.45 beat Duke Energy's score of 1.27 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	38 Very Positive mention(s)	6 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	4 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
NRG Energy	22 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

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 3.5%. NRG Energy pays an annual dividend of $1.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. 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.

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.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Duke Energy	$30.36B	3.14	$4.52B	$6.15	19.90
NRG Energy	$28.13B	1.14	$1.13B	$2.21	75.19

Do analysts prefer DUK or NRG?

Duke Energy currently has a consensus price target of $130.62, suggesting a potential upside of 6.71%. NRG Energy has a consensus price target of $186.92, suggesting a potential upside of 12.49%. Given NRG Energy's stronger consensus rating and higher probable 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)	5 Hold rating(s)	9 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.64
NRG Energy	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	9 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.92

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of 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, 0.6% of NRG Energy shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has more risk and volatility, DUK or NRG?

Duke Energy has a beta of 0.39, meaning that its share price is 61% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, NRG Energy has a beta of 1.17, meaning that its share price is 17% more volatile than the S&P 500.

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 Energy	15.51%	9.85%	2.65%
NRG Energy	1.78%	88.22%	6.80%

Summary

NRG Energy beats Duke Energy on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.