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NRG Energy

NRG
38
Independent Power Producers · Utilities
Also trades as: 0K4C.L
Winston Score
38
Winston is serious
Below-average fundamentals — multiple weak pillars.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Weak
Growth
Good
Cash Flow
Strong
Stability
Weak
Valuation
Strong
Dividends
Mixed

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.

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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

Insider Activity

0.8%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.

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
14.5%
Thin — 14.5% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
9.5%
Modest — 9.5% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
7.0%
Weak — 7.0% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

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Growth

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

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

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
4/8 quarters
Earnings inconsistent quarter-to-quarter

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
183%
Turns 183% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
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

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
4.79
Heavy debt load (4.79)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
N/A
Data not available

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
29.6x
no trend
Growth-priced — P/E 29.6

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

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+20.1
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (29.6 → 9.5)

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
1.65%
no trend
Small dividend — 1.65% yield

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

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
+8.0%
no trend
Dividend growing modestly (8.0% YoY)

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