NRG Energy vs Talen Energy
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KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put NRG Energy and Talen Energy side by side, using each one’s latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- NRG Energy is the larger business, with $30.7B of revenue in fiscal 2025 against $2.6B for Talen Energy, about 12 times as much.
- Talen Energy grew revenue faster (22.0%, against 9.2%).
- NRG Energy kept more of each dollar of sales as operating profit (6.0% operating margin, against −3.5%).
- Talen Energy turned more of its sales into free cash flow (23.5% FCF margin, against 2.5%).
- NRG Energy earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (10.9%, against −1.3%).
Who comes out ahead
Of the 8 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
NRG Energy
NRG
5/8
Operating marginNet marginReturn on capitalReturn on equityNet debt / EBITDA
Talen Energy
TLN
3/8
Revenue growthFCF marginShare count change
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | NRG FY25 | TLN FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $19.6B | $15.1B |
| Revenue | $30.7B | $2.6B |
| Free cash flow | $766M | $606M |
| Net income | $864M | −$219M |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | 9.2% | 22.0% |
| 5-year growth | 27.6% | — |
| Share count change | −6.1% | −19.1% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | — | — |
| Operating margin | 6.0% | −3.5% |
| Net margin | 2.8% | −8.5% |
| FCF margin | 2.5% | 23.5% |
| Return on capital | 10.9% | −1.3% |
| Return on equity | 41.6% | −17.7% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | $11.7B | $6.1B |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 3.6x | 32.4x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $1.7B | $103M |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 24.2x | — |
| Piotroski F-score | 6 | — |
Ten years
Revenue
Operating margin
Free cash flow
Return on capital
Each company's latest fiscal year; fiscal years end in different months. The best value in each row is highlighted where higher (or lower) is clearly better. Not investment advice.