NRG Energy Inc vs Realty Income Corp — how do they compare? NRG Energy Inc trades at $116.91 (market cap $25.15B), while Realty Income Corp trades at $60.36 (market cap $57.74B). The key difference: Realty Income Corp is far larger — about 2.3× NRG Energy Inc's market cap, and Realty Income Corp pays the higher dividend (5.33%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| NRG | O | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $25.15B | $57.74B |
Sector | Utilities | Real Estate |
52-Week High | $184.03 | $67.56 |
52-Week Low | $109.51 | $55.93 |
Enterprise Value | $49.10B | $88.37B |
Dividend Yield | 1.59% | 5.33% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
NRG Energy trades at $119.64, up 0.52% with a bullish technical signal despite recent earnings misses. The stock shows strong profitability metrics including 26.77% ROE and 2.56% net margin, supported by $30.71B revenue in 2025. Recent developments include a transformative 1.2 GW Texas data-center power project and LS Power acquisition, driving long-term growth expectations. Cash flow trends show volatility with 2025 net cash flow of $3.83B followed by projected 2026 outflow of -$264M.
Wall Street maintains strong bullish sentiment with 69% buy ratings and $201.29 consensus target, representing 68% upside. Key risks include rising interest costs impacting earnings, elevated debt levels at 56.42% debt-to-asset ratio, and execution challenges with major capital projects. The data center expansion strategy offers significant growth potential but requires careful monitoring of capex and leverage management.
Realty Income (O) trades at $61.02, down 0.38% on the day, with a bearish technical signal from moving averages. The stock has missed earnings expectations for the last three quarters, but revenue grew to $5.75B in 2025 with a net income margin of 21.23%. Recent news highlights the company's 136th consecutive monthly dividend increase to $0.2715 per share, underscoring its income-focused appeal amid a 5.3% yield.
The outlook is mixed: analyst consensus leans hold with a $66.50 price target, suggesting modest upside, but rising debt levels and interest rate sensitivity pose risks. Earnings misses and a high P/E of 44.54 indicate valuation concerns, though dividend growth and high occupancy support income stability for long-term investors.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →Realty Income owns roughly 11,400 properties, most of which are freestanding, single-tenant, triple-net-leased retail properties. Its properties are located in 49 states and Puerto Rico and are leased to 250 tenants from 47 industries. Recent acquisitions have added industrial, office, manufacturing, and distribution properties, which make up roughly 17% of revenue.
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