Compare NRG Energy Inc (NRG) vs Yum! Brands, Inc. (YUM) Price & Performance
Price performance (Past 24H)
Key statistics
Key statistics
NRG Energy Inc vs Yum! Brands, Inc. — how do they compare? NRG Energy Inc trades at $116.91 (market cap $25.15B), while Yum! Brands, Inc. trades at $144.94 (market cap $40.80B). The key difference: Yum! Brands, Inc. is the larger of the two by market cap, and Yum! Brands, Inc. pays the higher dividend (2.01%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| NRG | YUM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $25.15B | $40.80B |
Sector | Utilities | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $184.03 | $168.16 |
52-Week Low | $109.51 | $138.21 |
Enterprise Value | $49.10B | $52.40B |
Dividend Yield | 1.59% | 2.01% |
Aura AI Summary
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Aura AI Summary
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.
YUM trades at $149.59, down 0.74% on the day, with a bearish technical signal and neutral oscillators. The company reported revenue of $8.21B and net income of $1.56B in 2025, with a P/E ratio of 18.83. Recent developments include the sale of Pizza Hut for approximately $1.5B to LongRange Capital, with proceeds aimed at debt reduction and share buybacks, alongside a declared $0.75 quarterly dividend.
The outlook is mixed: analyst consensus is a buy with a $173.60 price target, but high debt and a legal investigation pose risks. Earnings have beaten expectations in two of the last three quarters, with Q3 2026 results pending. The stock offers potential upside from strategic refocusing and buybacks, balanced against consumer spending pressures and leverage concerns.
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Top news
Latest headlines on both assets
Top news
Latest headlines on both assets
About NRG Energy Inc
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 →About Yum! Brands, Inc.
Yum Brands is a U.S.-based restaurant operator featuring a portfolio of four brands: KFC (26,930 global units), Pizza Hut (18,380 units), Taco Bell (7,790 units), and The Habit Burger (310 units) at year-end 2021. With $58 billion in 2021 systemwide sales, the firm is the second-largest restaurant company in the world, behind McDonald's ($112.5 billion) but ahead of Restaurant Brands International ($36 billion) and Starbucks ($25 billion). Yum is 98% franchised, with the largest franchisee, Yum China, created via a 2016 spinoff transaction (after which Yum China agreed to pay 3% royalties to Yum Brands in perpetuity). Yum is the newest evolution of Tricon Brands, formerly a division of PepsiCo, and generates the bulk of its revenue from franchise royalties and marketing contributions.
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