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NRG Energy

NRG
36
Independent Power Producers · Utilities
Also trades as: 0K4C.L
Price
$120.66
+0.87 (+0.73%)
Market Cap
$25.46B
Winston Score
36
Winston is serious
Below-average fundamentals — multiple weak pillars.
Data as of Aug 13, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Weak
Growth
Good
Cash Flow
Strong
Stability
Weak
Valuation
Good
Dividends
Mixed

Share count falling — buybacks

18.8% over 4y

The company has reduced its share count over this period, returning value to shareholders through buybacks.

Diluted shares outstanding: 245.0M (2021) → 199.0M (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

NRG Energy is one of the largest independent power companies in the United States. It generates and sells electricity to homes, businesses, and industrial customers, and also sells natural gas and energy-related services. NRG owns and operates power plants that run on natural gas, coal, oil, and renewables, and it sells electricity directly to consumers through retail brands like Vivint Smart Home and NRG's own retail energy business.

NRG makes money by generating electricity and selling it at wholesale prices, and by selling power and gas directly to retail customers under fixed or variable-rate contracts. It operates mainly across the U.S. and Texas, where it has a strong presence in the deregulated ERCOT market. The company's retail customer base provides more stable, recurring revenue compared to pure wholesale generators. The main risk NRG faces is exposure to volatile commodity prices — when natural gas prices spike, generation costs rise and margins can shrink quickly.

Politician Trades

4 trades / 12mo

2 Congressional buys and 2 sells on NRG in the last 12 months.

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Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+64.1% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Revenue accelerating

EPS Growth

+477.4% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

EPS growth accelerating

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (1%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

0.4%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$162M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↓ Burn rate worsening

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Revenue accelerating

NRG Energy grew revenue 64% year-over-year and the growth rate is speeding up. That's the kind of momentum growth investors look for — the question is whether margins can follow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

Each metric is explained in plain language so you know exactly what you're looking at. Start your free trial now.

Quality

Gross Margin
14.5%
Thin — 14.5% gross margin
Operating Margin
9.5%
Modest — 9.5% operating margin
ROCE
3.7%
Weak — 3.7% return on capital

ROIC between 0% and 5%. They earn a few cents back per dollar invested in the business.

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Growth

Sales YoY
+25.1%
Fast-growing sales (+25.1% YoY)
EPS YoY
+60.5%
Earnings growing fast (+60.5% YoY)

Earnings growing 25%+ a year. The compounder zone.

EPS Consistency
4/8 quarters
Earnings inconsistent quarter-to-quarter

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Cash Flow

Cash Conversion
183%
Turns 183% of profit into real cash
FCF Margin
0.9%
Thin free cash flow (0.9%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

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Stability

Debt / Equity
4.79
Heavy debt load (4.79)
Interest Cover
N/A
Data not available

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Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)
31.6x
Pricey — P/E 31.6

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

P/E vs Forward
+21.7
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (31.6 → 9.9)

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Dividends

Dividend Yield
1.42%
Small dividend — 1.42% yield

Modest yield. The bulk of any return needs to come from price appreciation.

Dividend Growth
+8.0%
Dividend growing modestly (8.0% YoY)

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