FE vs. NRG: FirstEnergy vs. NRG Energy Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do FirstEnergy (FE) and NRG Energy (NRG) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

FirstEnergy (FE) and NRG Energy (NRG) are both classified in the Electric Utilities sub-industry within the broader Electric Utilities industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for FirstEnergy (FE) and NRG Energy (NRG)
Profile Item	FE	NRG
Name	FirstEnergy Corp.	NRG Energy, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Electric Utilities	Electric Utilities
GICS Sub-Industry	Electric Utilities	Electric Utilities
Market Capitalization	26.88 billion USD	18.56 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	November 10, 1997	December 2, 2003
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

NRG

GSPC

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. NRG Energy (NRG), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for FirstEnergy (FE) and NRG Energy (NRG). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for FirstEnergy (FE) and NRG Energy (NRG). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and NRG Energy (NRG)
Metric	FE	NRG
Total Return (1Y)	5.62%	-43.14%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	14.20%	31.18%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	8.32%	25.79%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

NRG

GSPC

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. NRG Energy (NRG), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for FirstEnergy (FE) and NRG Energy (NRG). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and NRG Energy (NRG)
Metric	FE	NRG
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	16.31%	52.51%
Beta (5Y)	0.39	1.20
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-28.59%	-55.72%
Avg. Volume (3M)	4.29M	3.15M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FE and NRG are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and NRG Energy (NRG)
Metric	FE	NRG
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.08	-0.90
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.11	-1.19

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

NRG Energy (NRG) at 23.77% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than FirstEnergy (FE) at 10.04%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

FE

Utilities industry group

10.04%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
FE: 10.04%
Median: 9.44%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%

NRG

Utilities industry group

23.77%

NRG: 23.77%
Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
Median: 9.44%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. NRG Energy (NRG): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 7.49% and NRG Energy (NRG) at 2.56% let more of each sales dollar slip away before the bottom line than peers do, sitting in the lower net margin quartile of their industries.

FE

Utilities industry group

7.49%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
FE: 7.49%
Min: -0.20%

NRG

Utilities industry group

2.56%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
NRG: 2.56%
Min: -0.20%

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. NRG Energy (NRG): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

FirstEnergy (FE) at 21.24% runs core operations around its industry’s norm, while NRG Energy (NRG) at 12.77% operates in the bottom quartile.

FE

Utilities industry group

21.24%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
FE: 21.24%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

NRG

Utilities industry group

12.77%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
Q1: 15.45%
NRG: 12.77%
Min: -4.90%

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. NRG Energy (NRG): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and NRG Energy (NRG)
Metric	FE	NRG
ROE (TTM)	10.04%	23.77%
ROA (TTM)	3.66%	4.06%
Net Margin (TTM)	7.49%	2.56%
Operating Margin (TTM)	21.24%	12.77%
Gross Margin (TTM)	69.63%	18.80%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 12.01% and NRG Energy (NRG) at 9.18% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. NRG Energy (NRG): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

FirstEnergy (FE) at 3.53% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while NRG Energy (NRG) at -19.64% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. NRG Energy (NRG): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and NRG Energy (NRG)
Metric	FE	NRG
Revenue Growth (YoY)	12.01%	9.18%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	6.59%	-0.88%
EPS Growth (YoY)	3.53%	-19.64%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	35.34%	-8.12%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

NRG Energy (NRG) at 0.97 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 0.38 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for FE.

FE

Utilities industry group

0.38

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
FE: 0.38
Min: 0.29

NRG

Utilities industry group

0.97

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
NRG: 0.97
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
Min: 0.29

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. NRG Energy (NRG): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both balance sheets lean debt-heavy versus peers, but NRG is more stretched: FirstEnergy (FE) at 2.07 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and NRG Energy (NRG) at 4.83 is above its industry benchmark range.

FE

Utilities industry group

2.07

Max: 2.63
FE: 2.07
Q3: 1.77
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

NRG

Utilities industry group

4.83

NRG: 4.83
Max: 2.63
Q3: 1.77
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. NRG Energy (NRG): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and NRG Energy (NRG)
Metric	FE	NRG
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.38	0.97
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.07	4.83
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.85	7.16

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

FirstEnergy (FE) at 3.90% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while NRG Energy (NRG) at 2.32% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, FE the richer one.

FE

Utilities industry group

3.90%

Max: 6.66%
FE: 3.90%
Q3: 3.58%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

NRG

Utilities industry group

2.32%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
Median: 2.85%
NRG: 2.32%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. NRG Energy (NRG): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

NRG Energy (NRG) at 47.91% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 87.92% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

FE

Utilities industry group

87.92%

Max: 113.04%
FE: 87.92%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
Min: 0.00%

NRG

Utilities industry group

47.91%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
NRG: 47.91%
Q1: 32.38%
Min: 0.00%

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. NRG Energy (NRG): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and NRG Energy (NRG)
Metric	FE	NRG
Dividend Yield (TTM)	3.90%	2.32%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	87.92%	47.91%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 22.43 and NRG Energy (NRG) at 23.11 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

FE

Utilities industry group

22.43

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
FE: 22.43
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

NRG

Utilities industry group

23.11

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
NRG: 23.11
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. NRG Energy (NRG): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

NRG Energy (NRG) at 0.56 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while FirstEnergy (FE) at 1.68 prices around its industry’s middle — NRG costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

FE

Utilities industry group

1.68

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
FE: 1.68
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

NRG

Utilities industry group

0.56

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
Q1: 1.52
NRG: 0.56
Min: 0.00

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. NRG Energy (NRG): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

FirstEnergy (FE) at 2.07 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.

FE

Utilities industry group

2.07

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
FE: 2.07
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

NRG

Utilities industry group

4.42

NRG: 4.42
Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. NRG Energy (NRG): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and NRG Energy (NRG)
Metric	FE	NRG
P/E Ratio (TTM)	22.43	23.11
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.68	0.56
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.07	4.42
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-9.48%	4.16%