NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) vs. Hallador Energy (NASDAQ:HNRG) Head-To-Head Comparison

Hallador Energy (NASDAQ:HNRG) and NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) are both utilities companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, risk, profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Hallador Energy and NRG Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Hallador Energy	-0.20%	-0.52%	-0.21%
NRG Energy	2.56%	52.95%	4.29%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

61.4% of Hallador Energy shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.7% of NRG Energy shares are held by institutional investors. 17.4% of Hallador Energy shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of NRG Energy shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Hallador Energy and NRG Energy”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Hallador Energy	$469.47 million	1.02	$41.87 million	$0.02	506.00
NRG Energy	$33.12 billion	0.55	$864.00 million	$3.78	22.97

NRG Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Hallador Energy. NRG Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Hallador Energy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk & Volatility

Hallador Energy has a beta of 0.47, meaning that its share price is 53% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, NRG Energy has a beta of 1.22, meaning that its share price is 22% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Hallador Energy and NRG Energy, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Hallador Energy	2	0	2	2	2.67
NRG Energy	0	4	11	2	2.88

Hallador Energy currently has a consensus target price of $24.88, indicating a potential upside of 145.80%. NRG Energy has a consensus target price of $173.56, indicating a potential upside of 99.90%. Given Hallador Energy’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Hallador Energy is more favorable than NRG Energy.

Summary

NRG Energy beats Hallador Energy on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Hallador Energy

Hallador Energy Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the production of steam coal in the State of Indiana for the electric power generation industry. The company owns the Oaktown Mine 1 and Oaktown Mine 2 underground mines in Oaktown; Freelandville Center Pit surface mine in Freelandville; and Prosperity Surface mine in Petersburg, Indiana. It is also involved in gas exploration activities in Indiana; and operation of logistics transport facility. Hallador Energy Company was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Terre Haute, Indiana.

About NRG Energy

NRG Energy, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy and home services company in the United States and Canada. It operates through Texas; East; West/Services/Other; Vivint Smart Home; and Corporate Activities segments. The company produces and sells electricity generated using coal, oil, solar, and battery storage; natural gas; and a cloud-based home platform, including hardware, software, sales, installation, customer service, technical support, and professional monitoring solutions. It offers retail electricity and energy management, line and surge protection products, HVAC installation, repair and maintenance, home protection products, carbon offsets, back-up power stations, portable power, portable solar, and portable lighting; retail services comprising demand response, commodity sales, energy efficiency, and energy management solutions; and system power, distributed generation, renewable and low-carbon products, carbon management and specialty services, backup generation, storage and distributed solar, and energy advisory services. In addition, the company trades in power, natural gas, and related commodities; environmental products; weather products; and financial products, including forwards, futures, options, and swaps. It offers its products and services under the NRG, Reliant, Direct Energy, Green Mountain Energy, and Vivint. It serves residential, commercial, government, industrial, and wholesale customers. NRG Energy, Inc. was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.