NRG Energy (NRG) Rises but Lags Behind Market: Key Facts and Analyst Expectations

NRG Energy (NRG) recently closed at $153.68, marking a +1.07% increase from the previous day's closing price. Despite this positive move, the stock lagged behind the S&P 500's daily gain of 1.11%. The Dow and Nasdaq also posted gains, with the Dow adding 1.19% and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, increasing by 1.43%.

Over the past month, shares of the power company have declined by 3.66%, underperforming both the Utilities sector's gain of 0.34% and the S&P 500's gain of 3.92%. Investors will be closely watching NRG Energy's upcoming earnings report, with expectations for earnings per share (EPS) of $1.07, a 27.7% decrease from the same quarter last year. Revenue is forecasted to be $6.31 billion, indicating a 5.26% decline compared to the prior year's corresponding quarter.

For the full year, Zacks Consensus Estimates call for earnings of $7.77 per share and revenue of $28.87 billion, representing year-over-year changes of +17.02% and +2.64%, respectively. Investors should also pay attention to any changes in analyst estimates for NRG Energy, as these revisions can indicate shifts in business trends and analyst optimism.

In terms of valuation, NRG Energy is trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 19.58, which is higher than its industry's average Forward P/E of 17.99. Additionally, the company has a PEG ratio of 1.21, which takes into account expected earnings growth. The Utility - Electric Power industry has an average PEG ratio of 2.64 at yesterday's closing price.

The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector and currently holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 84, placing it within the top 35% of over 250 industries. The top-rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1, according to our research.

To stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics and more, visit Zacks.com. Additionally, you can download our free report on NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG) for more in-depth analysis and recommendations from Zacks Investment Research.

This article was originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).