NRG vs SO
NRG Energy, Inc. and Southern Co., side by side — 10 fiscal years reported in USD, drawn from SEC filings.
Most recent reported year
| Metric | NRG | SO |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $30.7B | $29.6B |
| Net income | $864.0M | $4.3B |
| Gross margin | · | · |
| Net margin | · | 14.1% |
| Return on equity | 41.5% | 12.5% |
| Diluted EPS | $4.01 | $3.92 |
| Dividend / share | $1.76 | $2.94 |
| Payout ratio | 47.6% | 69.5% |
| Free cash flow | $766.0M | $-2.9B |
| Equity | · | $36.0B |
| Net debt / equity | 6.96× | 1.80× |
| Current ratio | 1.64× | 0.65× |
| Revenue CAGR 5y | 27.6% | 7.0% |
| Profit CAGR 5y | 11.1% | · |
NRG and SO book revenue within 15% of each other.
The stronger figure of the pair is set in bold. That is arithmetic, not a recommendation — this page does not pick a winner. "·" marks a figure not available in our data.
10 years side by side
| Fiscal year | NRG | SO |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $30.7B | $29.6B |
| FY2024 | $28.1B | $26.8B |
| FY2023 | $28.8B | $25.3B |
| FY2022 | $31.5B | $29.3B |
| FY2021 | $27.0B | $23.5B |
| FY2020 | $9.1B | $21.1B |
| FY2019 | $9.8B | $22.6B |
| FY2018 | $9.5B | $25.2B |
| FY2017 | $9.1B | $23.0B |
| FY2016 | $8.9B | $19.9B |
Bottom line
| Fiscal year | NRG | SO |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $864.0M | $4.3B |
| FY2024 | $1.1B | $4.4B |
| FY2023 | $-202.0M | $4.0B |
| FY2022 | $1.2B | $3.4B |
| FY2021 | $2.2B | $2.3B |
| FY2020 | $510.0M | $3.1B |
| FY2019 | $4.4B | $4.7B |
| FY2018 | $268.0M | $2.3B |
| FY2017 | $-2.2B | $926.0M |
| FY2016 | $-774.0M | $2.5B |
19 fiscal years
| Fiscal year | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | +$1,160,000,000 | NRG |
| FY2024 | +$1,366,000,000 | NRG |
| FY2023 | +$3,570,000,000 | NRG |
| FY2022 | +$2,264,000,000 | NRG |
| FY2021 | +$3,526,000,000 | NRG |
| FY2020 | −$12,004,000,000 | SO |
| FY2019 | −$12,775,000,000 | SO |
| FY2018 | −$15,763,000,000 | SO |
| FY2017 | −$13,957,000,000 | SO |
| FY2016 | −$10,981,000,000 | SO |
| FY2015 | −$5,161,000,000 | SO |
| FY2014 | −$2,599,000,000 | SO |
| FY2013 | −$5,792,000,000 | SO |
| FY2012 | −$8,115,000,000 | SO |
| FY2011 | −$8,578,000,000 | SO |
| FY2010 | −$8,607,000,000 | SO |
| FY2009 | −$6,791,000,000 | SO |
| FY2008 | −$10,242,000,000 | SO |
| FY2007 | −$9,364,000,000 | SO |
The higher-revenue side has changed between NRG and SO over this period. The gap has narrowed since the earliest year compared.
19 of 19 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
13 fiscal years
| Fiscal year | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | −9.1 pp | SO |
| FY2018 | −6.3 pp | SO |
| FY2017 | −29.8 pp | SO |
| FY2016 | −22.7 pp | SO |
| FY2015 | −66.1 pp | SO |
| FY2014 | −10.2 pp | SO |
| FY2013 | −13.1 pp | SO |
| FY2012 | −10.9 pp | SO |
| FY2011 | −10.7 pp | SO |
| FY2010 | −6.3 pp | SO |
| FY2009 | −0.3 pp | SO |
| FY2008 | +7.2 pp | NRG |
| FY2007 | −2.0 pp | SO |
The higher net margin has changed hands between NRG and SO over this period.
13 of 19 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Standard deviation, each side
NRG's net margin has been more volatile than SO's over the 13 comparable fiscal years — 17.6 percentage points of standard deviation against 2.7.
13 of 19 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Year by year
The lead in net margin changed hands between NRG and SO over these 13 fiscal years — NRG led in 1 and SO in 12.
13 of 19 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Standard deviation, each side
NRG's return on equity has been more volatile than SO's over the 17 comparable fiscal years — 36.5 percentage points of standard deviation against 2.4.
17 of 19 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Year by year
The lead in return on equity changed hands between NRG and SO over these 17 fiscal years — NRG led in 7 and SO in 10.
17 of 19 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.