July 24, 2025
Top 10 Stock NRG Buy Recommendation
How to read the ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Snapshot: NRG – Top 10 Stock in SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
NRG is listed as a top 10 stock on July 24, 2025 in the market index SDG 7 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. While the company shows high growth, the stock price is high yet professional investor sentiment is low, which may be due to overly optimistic investor behavior, reflected in a low stock price value. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 64 (high 64% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for NRG on July 24, 2025.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Electric Utilities |
| Index | Low Emissions, Diversity USA, Nuclear, SDG 13, SDG 3, SDG 5, SDG 7, S&P 500 |
| Size class | X-Large |
When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).
For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).
360° View: Obermatt 360° View NRG Buy
| 360 METRICS | July 24, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 33 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 95 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 61 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 29 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 64 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 64 (better than 64% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock NRG are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for NRG. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 95, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. This means that growth is higher than for 95% of competitors in the same industry. In addition, the consolidated Safety Rank has a safer rank of 61 which means that the company has a financing structure that is safer than 61% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. But the consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 33 which means that the share price of NRG is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means that the stock price is higher than for 67% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank also has a low rank of 29, which means that professional investors are more pessimistic about the stock than for 71% of alternative investment opportunities. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 64, NRG is better positioned than 64% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, the picture is ambiguous. Growth is above-average (Growth Rank of 95), and the company is safely financed (Safety Rank of 61). However, professional market sentiment is low(Sentiment Rank of 29). The negative market view on NRG may be due to the high stock price (low value). A growth company like this may get too expensive at one point in time. If too many investors are desperate to board the train, they may drive stock prices above reasonable levels. It is typical for growth companies to have low value ratings, because investors are willing to pay more for companies that outperform their competitors. So the question is, how much more do you pay for the stock of NRG compared with alternatives? You can use the following rule of thumb: The value rank shouldn’t be lower than one hundred minus the growth rank. For example, if the growth rank is at 75, and the value rank is at 5, you should tread carefully. If the value rank is at 40, it still might be a good value if the value rank is above 60. As market sentiment is low, you should be careful with paying more than market-average for this stock and conduct further research into the company’s future growth potential. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for NRG only reserved
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 29 (better than 29% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock NRG is below industry average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for NRG. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 58 (better than 58% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. Analyst Opinions Change is also positive and has a rank of 50 which means that currently, stock research experts are getting even more optimistic about investments in NRG. But Market Pulse has a low rank of 34, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the negative side when discussing this company (more negative news than for 66% of competitors). This is an essential sign of caution, as it could be the forebearer of bad news. Professional Investors are also somewhat absent with a rank of 19, which means that, currently, professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 81% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to invest in other companies. This is expected if the company is of a smaller size (medium or smaller). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 29 (less encouraging than 71% compared with investment alternatives), NRG has a reputation among professional investors that is below that of its competitors. While the general news feeds in the professional market are negative, the analyst recommendations are optimistic about the company, and even increase their ratings despite the negative news. This is an ambiguous situation with positive and negative signals from the professional side. Investors should be on the lookout for negative news but not worry too much about it as long as the overall news is still positive. ...read more
Value Strategy: NRG Stock Price Value below-average critical
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 33 (worse than 67% compared with alternatives), NRG shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where the majority of metrics are below, and only one is above average for NRG. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 92, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than 92% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning to NRG's revenue size. But all other performance indicators point in a different direction. Dividend yields have a Dividend Yield rank of 5, meaning that dividends are expected to be lower than for 95% of comparable investments. Furthermore, Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is less favorable than 95% of alternatives (only 5% of peers have an even higher ratio). The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (or Price / Earnings, P/E), which is higher than for 56% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected profit levels. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 33, is a hold recommendation based on NRG's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since Price-to-Sales is a stable value indicator even in challenging times, investing in NRG could be seen as a value investment. However, there must be a good reason for the low market-to-book rank. If the company has a typical capital investment practice, the stock may be overvalued because the profit and dividend-related performance indicators are also low. The stock is only good value if investors can expect profits and dividends to pick up in the future. Else, NRG looks like an expensive investment today. ...read more
Growth Strategy: NRG Growth Momentum high
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 95 (better than 95% compared with alternatives) for 2025, NRG shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for NRG. Sales Growth has a rank of 80 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 80% of its competitors. Capital Growth is also above 32% of competitors with a rank of 98, and Stock Returns with the rank of 99 is also an outperformance. Only Profit Growth is low with a rank of 32 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 68% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 95, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. All three operating growth indicators, namely revenue, profit, and capital growth, are showing improvements. This is a good indication of a company with a positive future. That might, at the same time, be the simple reason why profit growth is low. A growing company needs money and thus can't yet show high profit growth. Look out for signs in corporate communication about extra growth efforts costing time and money. If that is the case, NRG is a good growth stock. ...read more
Safety Strategy: NRG Debt Financing Safety above-average
| SAFETY METRICS | July 24, 2025 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 2 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 87 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 76 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 61 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 61 (better than 61% compared with alternatives), the company NRG has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. This doesn't mean that the business of NRG is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above-average for NRG. Refinancing is at 87, meaning the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 87% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at 76, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 76% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. However, Leverage is rather large at 2, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 98% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 61 (better than 61% compared with alternatives), NRG has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. This is not bad if things go well. The higher debt level means better returns to shareholders if things go well. Many top-performing companies operate with higher debt levels, and NRG could be in that group. But if you expect the environment to turn rougher, the higher leverage could become a problem. The same is valid if you expect interest rates to rise. That could squeeze shareholder returns, which so far have benefitted from better conditions. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: NRG Top Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | July 24, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 33 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 95 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 76 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 77 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 77 (better than 77% compared with investment alternatives), NRG (Electric Utilities, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of NRG are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 33 (worse than 67% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 95) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 61, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 77, is a strong buy recommendation based on NRG's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company NRG exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 33), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 95). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 61) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). ...read more
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