29 years of historical data (1997–2025) · Utilities · Independent Power Producers
Percentile shows where the current value sits in 30-year historical distribution. Sparklines show 5-year trend.
Price-based multiples — how expensive the stock is relative to earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow
NRG Energy, Inc. trades at 33.7x earnings, 96% above its 5-year average of 17.2x, sitting at the 78th percentile of its historical range. Compared to the Utilities sector median P/E of 19.0x, the stock trades at a premium of 77%. On a free-cash-flow basis, the stock trades at 37.2x P/FCF, 44% above the 5-year average of 25.9x.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $28.5B | $31.7B | $19.1B | $11.8B | $7.5B | $10.6B | $9.2B | $10.5B | $12.2B | $9.0B | $3.9B |
| Enterprise Value | $40.5B | $43.7B | $29.2B | $22.2B | $15.4B | $18.6B | $14.4B | $16.6B | $18.2B | $24.4B | $21.1B |
| P/E Ratio → | 33.68 | 39.71 | 18.08 | — | 6.15 | 4.82 | 18.14 | 2.36 | 45.52 | — | — |
| P/S Ratio | 0.93 | 1.03 | 0.68 | 0.41 | 0.24 | 0.39 | 1.02 | 1.07 | 1.29 | 0.99 | 0.43 |
| P/B Ratio | 15.99 | 18.85 | 7.72 | 4.06 | 1.96 | 2.93 | 5.50 | 6.25 | — | 4.41 | 0.86 |
| P/FCF | 37.20 | 41.37 | 10.43 | — | — | — | 6.88 | 5.33 | 12.33 | 9.30 | 3.48 |
| P/OCF | 14.90 | 16.56 | 8.29 | — | 20.86 | 21.41 | 5.03 | 7.43 | 8.86 | 6.51 | 1.87 |
P/E links to full P/E history page with 30-year chart
Enterprise-value multiples — capital-structure-neutral measures of total business value
NRG Energy, Inc.'s enterprise value stands at 10.7x EBITDA, 26% above its 5-year average of 8.5x. The Utilities sector median is 11.9x, placing the stock at a 11% discount on an enterprise-value basis.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV / Revenue | — | 1.42 | 1.04 | 0.77 | 0.49 | 0.69 | 1.58 | 1.69 | 1.92 | 2.69 | 2.37 |
| EV / EBITDA | 10.65 | 11.49 | 7.62 | 13.23 | 5.62 | 4.45 | 8.64 | 9.29 | 11.93 | — | 22.91 |
| EV / EBIT | 21.90 | 23.63 | 13.89 | 48.94 | 7.39 | 5.56 | 12.37 | 13.84 | 19.11 | — | — |
| EV / FCF | — | 57.07 | 15.90 | — | — | — | 10.70 | 8.43 | 18.36 | 25.17 | 19.00 |
Margins and return-on-capital ratios measuring operating efficiency
NRG Energy, Inc. earns an operating margin of 6.0%, below the Utilities sector average of 18.5%. Operating margins have expanded from 1.3% to 6.0% over the past 3 years, signaling improving operational efficiency. Return on equity of 41.5% is exceptionally high — well above the sector median of 9.3%. ROIC of 10.6% represents solid returns on invested capital.
Full margin charts and quarterly trend are on the Earnings History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 21.8% | 21.8% | 21.4% | 8.0% | 13.0% | 24.1% | 28.1% | 25.6% | 25.0% | 24.1% | 25.1% |
| Operating Margin | 6.0% | 6.0% | 8.6% | 1.3% | 6.4% | 12.4% | 12.2% | 13.1% | 10.4% | -8.2% | 0.4% |
| Net Profit Margin | 2.8% | 2.8% | 4.0% | -0.7% | 3.9% | 8.1% | 5.6% | 45.2% | 2.8% | -23.7% | -8.7% |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 41.5% | 41.5% | 41.8% | -6.0% | 32.9% | 82.8% | 30.4% | 1917.1% | 64.5% | -65.9% | -15.1% |
| ROA | 3.3% | 3.3% | 4.5% | -0.7% | 4.7% | 11.5% | 3.7% | 38.3% | 1.6% | -8.0% | -2.4% |
| ROIC | 10.6% | 10.6% | 14.1% | 2.3% | 13.0% | 27.2% | 11.4% | 15.5% | 9.6% | -3.6% | 0.1% |
| ROCE | 10.2% | 10.2% | 15.3% | 2.3% | 12.8% | 23.6% | 9.5% | 14.0% | 7.0% | -3.2% | 0.1% |
Solvency and debt-coverage ratios — lower is generally safer
NRG Energy, Inc. carries a Debt/EBITDA ratio of 4.4x, which is highly leveraged (15% below the sector average of 5.2x). Net debt stands at $12.0B ($16.8B total debt minus $4.7B cash). Interest coverage of just 2.4x is concerning — the company has limited headroom to absorb earnings volatility before struggling with debt service.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 9.97 | 9.97 | 4.44 | 3.78 | 2.17 | 2.30 | 5.38 | 3.84 | — | 4.59 | 3.67 |
| Debt / EBITDA | 4.41 | 4.41 | 2.87 | 6.53 | 3.03 | 1.98 | 5.43 | 3.61 | 4.28 | — | 17.87 |
| Net Debt / Equity | — | 7.16 | 4.05 | 3.59 | 2.06 | 2.23 | 3.06 | 3.64 | — | 7.53 | 3.84 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 3.16 | 3.16 | 2.62 | 6.21 | 2.88 | 1.92 | 3.09 | 3.41 | 3.91 | — | 18.71 |
| Debt / FCF | — | 15.70 | 5.47 | — | — | — | 3.82 | 3.10 | 6.02 | 15.87 | 15.52 |
| Interest Coverage | 2.40 | 2.40 | 3.22 | 0.68 | 4.99 | 6.89 | 2.90 | 2.90 | 1.97 | -1.49 | -0.60 |
Short-term solvency ratios and asset-utilisation metrics
A current ratio of 1.64x means NRG Energy, Inc. can comfortably meet its short-term obligations, though there is limited excess liquidity. The current ratio has improved from 1.02x to 1.64x over the past 3 years.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 1.64 | 1.64 | 1.02 | 1.02 | 1.25 | 1.37 | 3.15 | 1.31 | 1.50 | 1.34 | 1.54 |
| Quick Ratio | 1.58 | 1.58 | 0.96 | 0.96 | 1.19 | 1.31 | 2.98 | 1.15 | 1.33 | 1.20 | 1.37 |
| Cash Ratio | 0.86 | 0.86 | 0.11 | 0.06 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 2.04 | 0.15 | 0.23 | 0.23 | 0.21 |
| Asset Turnover | — | 1.05 | 1.17 | 1.11 | 1.08 | 1.16 | 0.61 | 0.78 | 0.89 | 0.39 | 0.29 |
| Inventory Turnover | 52.06 | 52.06 | 46.23 | 43.70 | 36.54 | 41.13 | 20.00 | 19.07 | 17.25 | 15.20 | 9.26 |
| Days Sales Outstanding | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Earnings, FCF, buyback, and dividend yields — total returns to shareholders
NRG Energy, Inc. returns 6.5% to shareholders annually — split between a 1.5% dividend yield and 4.9% buyback yield. A payout ratio of 47.6% is moderate and appears sustainable, balancing shareholder returns with reinvestment capacity. The earnings yield of 3.0% (inverse of P/E) provides a useful comparison to bond yields when assessing the stock's relative attractiveness to fixed income.
Full dividend history and growth charts are on the Dividend History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | 1.5% | 1.3% | 2.1% | 3.2% | 4.4% | 3.0% | 3.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 2.0% |
| Payout Ratio | 47.6% | 47.6% | 36.0% | — | 27.2% | 14.6% | 57.8% | 0.7% | 13.8% | — | — |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Yield | 3.0% | 2.5% | 5.5% | — | 16.2% | 20.7% | 5.5% | 42.3% | 2.2% | — | — |
| FCF Yield | 2.7% | 2.4% | 9.6% | — | — | — | 14.5% | 18.8% | 8.1% | 10.8% | 28.7% |
| Buyback Yield | 4.9% | 4.4% | 4.9% | 9.9% | 8.1% | 0.5% | 2.5% | 13.7% | 10.2% | 0.0% | 5.8% |
| Total Shareholder Yield | 6.5% | 5.7% | 7.0% | 13.2% | 12.5% | 3.5% | 5.7% | 14.0% | 10.6% | 0.4% | 7.8% |
| Shares Outstanding | — | $199M | $212M | $228M | $236M | $245M | $246M | $264M | $308M | $317M | $316M |
Compare NRG with 10 similar companies in its peer group
| Company | Market Cap | P/E | EV/EBITDA | P/FCF | Gross Margin | Op Margin | ROE | ROIC | Debt/EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $28B | 33.7 | 10.7 | 37.2 | 21.8% | 6.0% | 41.5% | 10.6% | 4.4 | |
| $55B | 74.1 | 17.5 | 428.0 | 17.5% | 7.9% | 17.7% | 4.3% | 4.8 | |
| $99B | 37.0 | 25.6 | 76.9 | 75.8% | 12.1% | 16.3% | 11.9% | 2.2 | |
| $47B | 16.7 | 11.0 | — | 27.9% | 21.2% | 9.9% | 5.1% | 5.8 | |
| $10B | 11.6 | 11.3 | — | 18.1% | 16.1% | 9.7% | 3.9% | 8.8 | |
| $3B | -5.7 | — | — | — | — | -55.7% | -221.2% | — | |
| $60B | 19.8 | 16.0 | — | 49.0% | 26.7% | 9.4% | 4.3% | 7.2 | |
| $97B | 19.6 | 12.6 | — | 31.6% | 26.6% | 9.5% | 4.6% | 6.1 | |
| $105B | 23.7 | 12.7 | — | 29.8% | 24.6% | 11.5% | 5.3% | 4.9 | |
| $27B | 22.1 | 12.7 | — | 39.1% | 23.6% | 8.2% | 5.0% | 5.5 | |
| $51B | 28.4 | 14.6 | — | 29.9% | 23.6% | 10.9% | 5.0% | 5.5 | |
| Utilities Median | — | 19.0 | 11.9 | 18.6 | 38.4% | 18.5% | 9.3% | 4.9% | 5.2 |
Peer selection based on competitive and market overlap. Compare multiple stocks →
Includes 30+ ratios · 29 years · Updated daily
Deep dive into NRG consensus models and risk factors.
DCF models, multiple analysis, and analyst estimates.
10-year return with dividends reinvested.
See how regular investing compounds over time.
Compare growth, multiples, and margins vs sector.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying NRG stock.
NRG Energy, Inc.'s current P/E ratio is 33.7x. The historical average is 24.2x. This places it at the 78th percentile of its historical range.
NRG Energy, Inc.'s current EV/EBITDA is 10.7x. This enterprise value multiple compares the company's total value (equity + debt - cash) to its EBITDA. The historical average is 9.4x.
NRG Energy, Inc.'s return on equity (ROE) is 41.5%. This is above the typical threshold of 15-20% considered good for most companies. The historical average is 5.2%.
Based on historical data, NRG Energy, Inc. is trading at a P/E of 33.7x. This is at the 78th percentile of its historical P/E range. Compare with industry peers and growth rates for a complete picture.
NRG Energy, Inc.'s current dividend yield is 1.53% with a payout ratio of 47.6%.
NRG Energy, Inc. has 21.8% gross margin and 6.0% operating margin.
NRG Energy, Inc.'s Debt/EBITDA ratio is 4.4x, indicating high leverage. A ratio above 4x may signal elevated financial risk.