Charter Communications Inc vs NRG Energy Inc — how do they compare? Charter Communications Inc trades at $157.44 (market cap $18.28B), while NRG Energy Inc trades at $120.38 (market cap $24.83B). The key difference: NRG Energy Inc is the larger of the two by market cap, and NRG Energy Inc pays a 1.61% dividend while Charter Communications Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CHTR | NRG | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $18.28B | $24.83B |
Sector | Media | Utilities |
52-Week High | $282.74 | $184.03 |
52-Week Low | $123.31 | $117.04 |
Enterprise Value | $114.49B | $48.79B |
Dividend Yield | — | 1.61% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Charter Communications (CHTR) trades at $152.57, down 3.09% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages but mixed oscillators. The stock shows low valuation multiples with a P/E of 3.97 and P/S of 0.36, supported by a 9.05% net income margin and strong operating cash flow of $16.08B in 2025. Recent Q2 2026 earnings beat expectations with EPS of $10.66 versus $9.98 estimated, though revenue declined 1.7% year-over-year. News highlights debt refinancing activities and competitive pressures in broadband.
The outlook remains cautious due to subscriber losses and fiber competition, but the extreme valuation discount and aggressive buybacks offer potential upside. Risks include high debt leverage at $93.21B long-term and persistent industry headwinds. Analyst consensus is mixed with a $166.18 price target, suggesting 9% upside from current levels.
NRG Energy trades at $118.13, down 0.77% on the day, with a bearish technical signal and recent earnings misses in Q1 and Q2 2026. The company reported Q2 2026 adjusted EBITDA of $1.2 billion, up 34% year-over-year, and is advancing a 1.2-GW Texas data-center power project to drive growth. Valuation metrics show a P/E of 30.76 and P/S of 0.72, with a net income margin of 2.56% for 2025.
The outlook is mixed: strong analyst consensus (69% buy ratings) and a $207.83 price target suggest upside, but technical weakness, rising debt, and execution risks on new projects pose challenges. Revenue growth to $33.1B in 2026 and strategic investments in data center demand support long-term potential, though interest costs and leverage require monitoring.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Charter is the product of the 2016 merger of three cable companies, each with a decades-long history in the business: Legacy Charter, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks. The firm now holds networks capable of providing television, internet access, and phone services to roughly 54 million U.S. homes and businesses, around 40% of the country. Across this footprint, Charter serves 29 million residential and 2 million commercial customer accounts under the Spectrum brand, making it the second-largest U.S. cable company behind Comcast. The firm also owns, in whole or in part, sports and news networks, including Spectrum SportsNet (long-term local rights to Los Angeles Lakers games), SportsNet LA (Los Angeles Dodgers), SportsNet New York (New York Mets), and Spectrum News NY1.
Read more on CHTR →NRG Energy is one of the largest retail energy providers in the U.S., with 7 million customers, including its 2021 acquisition of Direct Energy. It also is one of the largest U.S. independent power producers, with 16 gigawatts of nuclear, coal, gas, and oil power generation capacity primarily in Texas. Since 2018, NRG has divested its 47% stake in NRG Yield, among other renewable energy and conventional generation investments. NRG exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a stand-alone entity in December 2003.
Read more on NRG →