AES vs. NRG: AES vs. NRG Energy Stock Comparison

Company Profile

AES (AES) and NRG Energy (NRG) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but AES is classified in Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers while NRG is classified in Electric Utilities.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

NRG Energy (NRG) at 23.77% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than AES (AES) at 8.68%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

AES (AES) at 13.16% keeps about the industry-typical share of revenue as profit, while NRG Energy (NRG) at 2.56% retains only a bottom-quartile share.

AES (AES) at 23.89% runs core operations around its industry’s norm, while NRG Energy (NRG) at 12.77% operates in the bottom quartile.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

NRG Energy (NRG) at 9.18% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while AES (AES) at -0.37% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Both AES (AES) at -46.61% and NRG Energy (NRG) at -19.64% post bottom-quartile EPS growth versus peers, pointing to weaker earnings momentum than typical rivals.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both AES (AES) at 0.86 and NRG Energy (NRG) at 0.97 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

Both balance sheets lean debt-heavy versus peers, but NRG is more stretched: AES (AES) at 2.43 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and NRG Energy (NRG) at 4.83 is above its industry benchmark range.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

AES (AES) at 4.73% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while NRG Energy (NRG) at 2.32% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, AES the richer one.

NRG Energy (NRG) at 47.91% keeps its payout within the industry’s typical band; AES (AES) at 28.27% pays out less than peers usually do, retaining more of its earnings — a policy difference more than a quality gap.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

AES (AES) at 5.97 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while NRG Energy (NRG) at 23.11 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for AES, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

Both AES (AES) at 0.78 and NRG Energy (NRG) at 0.56 fetch a relatively low price per dollar of sales, landing in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

AES (AES) at 1.86 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while NRG Energy (NRG) at 4.42 prices above its benchmark range — NRG looks rich relative to book.

Valuation Metrics