NEE vs. VST: NextEra Energy vs. Vistra Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do NextEra Energy (NEE) and Vistra (VST) 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

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

Company profile comparison for NextEra Energy (NEE) and Vistra (VST)
Profile Item	NEE	VST
Name	NextEra Energy Inc.	Vistra Corp.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Electric Utilities	Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers
GICS Sub-Industry	Electric Utilities	Independent Power Producers & Energy Traders
Market Capitalization	182.36 billion USD	42.31 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 21, 1973	October 5, 2016
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

NEE

VST

GSPC

NextEra Energy (NEE) vs. Vistra (VST), 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 NextEra Energy (NEE) and Vistra (VST). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for NextEra Energy (NEE) and Vistra (VST). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for NextEra Energy (NEE) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	NEE	VST
Total Return (1Y)	7.27%	-30.09%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	20.47%	57.95%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	3.34%	49.55%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

NEE

VST

GSPC

NextEra Energy (NEE) vs. Vistra (VST), 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 NextEra Energy (NEE) and Vistra (VST). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Vistra (VST) has an aggressive beta of 1.38, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while NextEra Energy (NEE) is defensive at 0.59 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for NextEra Energy (NEE) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	NEE	VST
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	21.60%	53.39%
Beta (5Y)	0.59	1.38
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-44.97%	-48.80%
Avg. Volume (3M)	11.90M	5.98M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

NEE and VST 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 NextEra Energy (NEE) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	NEE	VST
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.14	-0.64
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.21	-0.86

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: NextEra Energy (NEE) earns 14.06% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Vistra (VST) has no ROE this period.

NEE

Utilities industry group

14.06%

Max: 17.99%
NEE: 14.06%
Q3: 12.01%
Median: 9.44%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%

VST

Utilities industry group

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
Median: 9.44%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%
VST: --

NextEra Energy (NEE) vs. Vistra (VST): VST does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; NEE is benchmarked against the Utilities industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

NextEra Energy (NEE) at 40.37% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Vistra (VST) at 13.15% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

NEE

Utilities industry group

40.37%

NEE: 40.37%
Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
Min: -0.20%

VST

Utilities industry group

13.15%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
VST: 13.15%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
Min: -0.20%

NextEra Energy (NEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

NextEra Energy (NEE) at 33.00% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Vistra (VST) at 31.12%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

NEE

Utilities industry group

33.00%

Max: 53.83%
NEE: 33.00%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

VST

Utilities industry group

31.12%

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

NextEra Energy (NEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for NextEra Energy (NEE) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	NEE	VST
ROE (TTM)	14.06%	--
ROA (TTM)	2.41%	--
Net Margin (TTM)	40.37%	13.15%
Operating Margin (TTM)	33.00%	31.12%
Gross Margin (TTM)	60.17%	41.52%

Growth

Revenue Growth

NextEra Energy (NEE) at 10.74% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Vistra (VST) at 2.98% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

NextEra Energy (NEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

NextEra Energy (NEE) at -2.63% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Vistra (VST) at -69.98% falls below its industry range, a notably weak earnings reading.

NextEra Energy (NEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for NextEra Energy (NEE) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	NEE	VST
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.74%	2.98%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	9.36%	8.92%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-2.63%	-69.98%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	16.28%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: NextEra Energy (NEE) shows current ratio of 0.53 against its industry benchmark, while Vistra (VST) has no reading this period.

NEE

Utilities industry group

0.53

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
NEE: 0.53
Min: 0.29

VST

Utilities industry group

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
Min: 0.29
VST: --

NextEra Energy (NEE) vs. Vistra (VST): VST does not report current ratio, so it has no value marker; NEE is benchmarked against the Utilities industry group.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

NextEra Energy (NEE) at 1.53 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Vistra (VST) at 3.73 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

NEE

Utilities industry group

1.53

Max: 2.63
Q3: 1.77
NEE: 1.53
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

VST

Utilities industry group

3.73

VST: 3.73
Max: 2.63
Q3: 1.77
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

NextEra Energy (NEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for NextEra Energy (NEE) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	NEE	VST
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.53	--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.53	3.73
Net Debt / EBITDA	8.09	--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

NextEra Energy (NEE) at 2.76% pays a yield in its industry’s typical range, while Vistra (VST) at 0.20% falls in the bottom quartile of its peers.

NEE

Utilities industry group

2.76%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
Median: 2.85%
NEE: 2.76%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

VST

Utilities industry group

0.20%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
VST: 0.20%
Min: 0.00%

NextEra Energy (NEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

NextEra Energy (NEE) at 43.89% keeps its payout within the industry’s typical band; Vistra (VST) at 15.35% pays out less than peers usually do, retaining more of its earnings — a policy difference more than a quality gap.

NEE

Utilities industry group

43.89%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
NEE: 43.89%
Q1: 32.38%
Min: 0.00%

VST

Utilities industry group

15.35%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
VST: 15.35%
Min: 0.00%

NextEra Energy (NEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for NextEra Energy (NEE) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	NEE	VST
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.76%	0.20%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	43.89%	15.35%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both NextEra Energy (NEE) at 15.67 and Vistra (VST) at 16.80 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

NEE

Utilities industry group

15.67

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
Median: 19.64
NEE: 15.67
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

VST

Utilities industry group

16.80

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
Median: 19.64
VST: 16.80
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

NextEra Energy (NEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Vistra (VST) at 2.05 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while NextEra Energy (NEE) at 6.33 sits in the pricier quartile — NEE costs more per dollar of sales.

NEE

Utilities industry group

6.33

Max: 6.35
NEE: 6.33
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

VST

Utilities industry group

2.05

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
VST: 2.05
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

NextEra Energy (NEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: NextEra Energy (NEE) at 2.97 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Vistra (VST) at 16.10 prices even higher, above its industry range.

NEE

Utilities industry group

2.97

Max: 3.12
NEE: 2.97
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

VST

Utilities industry group

16.10

VST: 16.10
Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

NextEra Energy (NEE) vs. Vistra (VST): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for NextEra Energy (NEE) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	NEE	VST
P/E Ratio (TTM)	15.67	16.80
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.33	2.05
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.97	16.10
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-11.63%	--