HCA Health Inc vs NRG Energy Inc — how do they compare? HCA Health Inc trades at $412.49 (market cap $89.08B), while NRG Energy Inc trades at $121.13 (market cap $24.83B). The key difference: HCA Health Inc is far larger — about 3.6× NRG Energy Inc's market cap, and NRG Energy Inc pays the higher dividend (1.61%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| HCA | NRG | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $89.08B | $24.83B |
Sector | Health | Utilities |
52-Week High | $545.13 | $184.03 |
52-Week Low | $361.32 | $117.04 |
Enterprise Value | $139.62B | $48.79B |
Dividend Yield | 0.76% | 1.61% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
HCA Healthcare trades at $414.03, up 0.16% today, with strong technical momentum as price sits above key support levels. The company demonstrates solid fundamentals with Q2 2026 earnings beating estimates, revenue growth to $75.6B in 2025, and consistent dividend payments. Recent management appointments signal strategic focus on clinical operations and ambulatory services.
HCA presents a compelling investment case with attractive valuation (P/E 13.8), analyst consensus price target of $449.93 (8.7% upside), and strong institutional support. However, risks include ongoing legal investigations, rising expenses impacting margins, and high debt levels at 80.9% debt-to-asset ratio that could constrain financial flexibility.
NRG Energy trades at $118.91, down 0.66% today, with a bearish technical signal. Recent Q2 2026 earnings missed estimates, but revenue grew 11% year-over-year. The company is expanding with a 1.2 GW Texas data-center power project, targeting long-term EBITDA growth. Valuation metrics show a P/E of 30.76 and P/S of 0.72, with strong ROE at 26.77% but modest net income margin of 2.56%. Cash flow trends are volatile, with 2025 net cash flow at $3.83B but a projected decline in 2026.
Outlook: Growth driven by data-center demand and strategic acquisitions offers upside, but high debt and earnings misses pose risks. Analyst consensus is bullish with a $207.83 price target, though technical weakness and rising interest costs require caution. Key opportunities include hyperscaler partnerships, while risks involve leverage and execution challenges.
Trailing returns across standard periods
HCA Healthcare is a Nashville-based healthcare provider organization operating the largest collection of acute-care hospitals in the U.S. As of December 2021, the firm owned and operated 182 hospitals, 125 freestanding outpatient surgery centers, and a broad network of physician offices, urgent care clinics, and freestanding emergency rooms across nearly 20 states and a small foothold in England.
Read more on HCA →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 →