# NRG Energy Inc. (NRG) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. NYSE, United States. Sector: Utilities / Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers. Price $119.02, market value $25.0 billion.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 31.0×** (5-yr avg 16.8×, 3-yr avg 28.6×). NRG Energy Inc. trades at 31.0× trailing earnings, well above its own five-year average of 16.8×: investors are paying up relative to the company's past. The Utilities median in the September 2026 study was 21.2×. Forward P/E is 10.6×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **Price / sales: 0.8×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 0.8×, a low multiple typical of thin-margin businesses or out-of-favour stocks.
- **Price / book: 6.0×**. The shares trade at 6.0× book value; most of the value is in earnings power and intangibles rather than the balance sheet.
- **EV / EBITDA: 10.0×**. Enterprise value is 10.0× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 1.4%** (5-yr avg 1.5%). Free cash flow equals 1.4% of the market value, in line with its five-year average of 1.5%.
- **Earnings yield: 3.2%**. The inverse of the P/E: 3.2% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Operating margin: 6.2%**. 6.2% of revenue is left after running the business.
- **Net margin: 2.8%**. 2.8% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 51.4%**. A 51.4% return on equity is extremely high; check whether buybacks or debt have shrunk the equity base, which flatters the ratio.
- **Return on invested capital: 11.9%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 11.9%.
- **Return on assets: 2.9%**. Each dollar of assets produces 2.9% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): 9.4%** (3-yr -1.2%/yr, 5-yr 28.4%/yr). Revenue grew 9.4% over the last year, against 28.4% a year compounded over five years: growth is slowing.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -19.6%** (3-yr -8.1%/yr, 5-yr 14.1%/yr). Earnings per share fell 19.6%, slower than revenue, so margins compressed.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 9.78**. Debt is 9.78 times equity, a leveraged balance sheet, which is normal for utilities.
- **Net debt / EBITDA: 3.2×**. It would take 3.2 years of operating earnings to repay net borrowings, above the 3× level most lenders treat as comfortable.
- **Altman Z-score: 1.88**. A Z-score of 1.88 is in the grey zone; not distressed, not clearly safe.
- **Piotroski F-score: 4/9**. 4 of 9 checks pass: mixed.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 1.60%** ($1.86 per share, trailing). NRG Energy Inc. yields 1.60%, a modest yield more typical of a growth-oriented payer.
- **Payout ratio: 48%**. 48% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving room to keep raising it.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 8**. 8 straight years of increases.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): 8.0%/yr** (1-yr 7.8%). The dividend has grown 8.0% a year over five years.

## Analyst view
- **Analyst consensus: buy** (16 analysts). 16 analysts cover NRG Energy Inc.; the consensus is buy, with an average price target of $188.75 (+59% from the current price). Analyst opinion is shown for context; it is not part of the Fundamental Score.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): -18.8%** (YTD -24.8%, 3-mo -7.9%). The shares are down 18.8% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -37.3%** (9.9% above the low). Trading 37% below its 52-week high, deep in a drawdown.
- **200-day average: below**. The price sits below its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of a downtrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 50**. An RSI of 50 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 1.34** (volatility 49%). Beta of 1.34 against the S&P 500: the shares move much more than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=NRG · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/nrg

Not investment advice.