AEP vs NRG vs ROK Stock Comparison

American Electric Power, Nrg Energy and Rockwell Automation Prices as of Nov 3, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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NRG Nrg Energy, Inc.
$96.24 +1.1% 1M -44.8% 1Y
Market cap
$17.42B
P/E
22.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$33.13B
Div. yield
0.03%
Independent Power Producers Utilities
4 wins
ROK Rockwell Automation, Inc
$446.41 -1.8% 1M +22.5% 1Y
Market cap
$49.23B
P/E
41.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.97B
Div. yield
–
Industrial Machinery Industrials
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

American Electric Power leads on 4 of the 12 questions below (American Electric Power 4, Nrg Energy 4, Rockwell Automation 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAEPNRGROKLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $70.48B $17.42B $49.23B AEP
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 18.6x 22.3x 41.0x AEP
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 21.6x 11.3x 35.7x NRG
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.1% +12.8% +11.3% NRG
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 16.1% 2.4% 13.4% AEP
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.8% 5.8% 21.0% ROK
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 5.8x 6.2x 1.3x ROK
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.03% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +8.3% -44.8% +22.5% ROK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +9.1%/yr +22.1%/yr +5.5%/yr NRG
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 18.5% 49.8% 31.6% AEP
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 49/100 63/100 54/100 NRG

Percentile Scorecard

AEPNRGROK

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAEPNRGROK
Valuation 32 #46 of 67 61 #10 of 24 17 #170 of 204
Growth 92 #6 of 65 82 #5 of 23 52 #93 of 191
Profitability 53 #31 of 65 68 #8 of 23 95 #10 of 189
Financial Health 29 #47 of 66 17 #20 of 24 35 #145 of 221
Shareholder Returns 39 #41 of 67 89 #3 of 19 73 #43 of 158
Overall 49 63 54
  • AEP ranked among 67 companies in Regulated Utilities
  • NRG ranked among 24 companies in Power Generation
  • ROK ranked among 223 companies in Machinery

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAEPNRGROKSPY
1 month +8.6%+1.1%-1.8% -2.0%
3 months +1.2%-17.8%+0.2% -2.2%
6 months -5.2%-38.9%+2.4% +4.2%
Year to date +12.6%-39.6%+14.7% +10.6%
1 year +8.3%-44.8%+22.5% +10.4%
3 years +62.9%+113.9%+69.3% +73.6%
3 years, per year +17.7%+28.9%+19.2% +20.2%
5 years +54.8%+170.6%+30.6% +61.6%
5 years, per year +9.1%+22.1%+5.5% +10.1%
10 years +106.4%+850.0%+280.0% +261.3%
10 years, per year +7.5%+25.3%+14.3% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureAEPNRGROKSPY
Volatility, 1Y 18.5%49.8%31.6% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 19.3%55.5%32.4% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.081.381.42 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.45-0.900.71 0.81
Max drawdown, 5Y -32.2%-49.8%-45.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -6.4%-47.7%-9.8% -3.2%
52-week high $138.69$184.03$495.08 $779.14
52-week low $113.70$92.32$348.51 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAEPNRGROK
P/E now vs peer median 18.6xmedian 20.6x 26.0xmedian 26.0x 41.3xmedian 25.4x
P/S now vs peer median 3.0xmedian 2.9x 0.6xmedian 2.6x 5.5xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 13.5xmedian 12.7x 11.5xmedian 11.5x 25.0xmedian 14.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median -8.7xmedian 32.2x 58.2xmedian 13.2x 33.0xmedian 23.6x
P/B now vs peer median 2.1xmedian 1.8x 4.2xmedian 2.1x 14.2xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 1.11median 2.00 0.76median 0.76 -9.41median 1.21

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAEPNRGROK
Revenue $23.61B $33.13B $8.97B
Gross profit $16.15B $6.23B $4.41B
Operating income $5.53B $2.02B $1.77B
Net income $4.42B $849.00M $1.20B
Free cash flow -$8.17B $348.00M $1.50B
R&D – – $716.00M
EPS (diluted) $6.89 $3.69 $10.76
Cash & equivalents $418.00M $162.00M $479.00M
Total debt $54.42B $23.44B $3.26B
Shares (diluted) 550.10M 212.00M 111.60M
Enterprise value $68.27B $11.64B $47.42B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAEPNRGROK
P/E 18.6x 26.0x 41.3x
P/FCF -8.7x 58.2x 33.0x
P/Operating cash flow 9.3x 13.0x 28.6x
P/S 3.0x 0.6x 5.5x
P/B 2.1x 4.2x 14.2x
P/Tangible book 2.1x 7.5x 17.8x
EV/EBITDA 13.5x 11.5x 25.0x
EV/EBIT 22.5x 21.6x 29.5x
EV/Revenue 5.3x 1.3x 5.8x
EV/FCF -15.2x 125.0x 34.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 16.4x 28.0x 30.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.11 0.76 -9.41

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAEPNRGROK
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.1% 12.8% 11.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 7.0% 2.9% 1.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.0% 22.9% 1.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 348.5% 7.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 4.4% 57.9% -7.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 16.6% 43.0% 2.9%
Net income growth (1Y) 30.7% 62.6% 23.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 25.1% 34.1% -5.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 66.6% 58.9% 25.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 16.8% 34.1% -4.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 10.5% -32.1% 13.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 21.5% 33.9% 22.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -123.1% -75.0% 13.9%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -33.2% 27.6% 23.6%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAEPNRGROK
Gross margin 68.4% 18.8% 49.1%
EBITDA margin 38.9% 11.4% 23.3%
Operating margin 23.4% 6.1% 19.7%
Pretax margin 15.7% 3.2% 14.7%
Net margin 16.1% 2.4% 13.4%
FCF margin -34.6% 1.1% 16.8%
Operating cash flow margin 32.1% 4.7% 19.3%
Return on equity 10.2% 17.5% 30.9%
Return on assets 2.8% 2.1% 9.8%
Return on invested capital 5.8% 5.8% 21.0%
Return on capital employed 5.1% 6.7% 23.6%
Asset turnover 0.2x 0.8x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.7x 1.8x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.4% 1.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAEPNRGROK
Debt / assets 43.3% 58.7% 29.4%
Debt / equity 1.6x 4.8x 0.9x
Net debt / EBITDA 5.8x 6.2x 1.3x
Debt / FCF -6.7x 67.3x 2.2x
Liabilities / assets 72.9% 87.8% 68.5%
Equity / assets 27.1% 12.2% 31.5%
Interest coverage 2.4x 2.0x 12.8x
Current ratio 0.5x 1.0x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.3x 0.5x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.0x 0.0x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 0.91 1.42 6.02

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAEPNRGROK
Dividend yield 2.9% 2.0% 1.2%
Net buyback yield – 8.1% 1.4%
Shareholder yield 2.9% 10.1% 2.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 51.7% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 126.1% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 7.6% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 9.1% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAEPNRGROK
Forward P/E 21.6xFY2026 11.3xFY2026 35.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $6.01FY2026 $8.49FY2026 $12.50FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +0.7%FY2026 +5.2%FY2026 +18.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +19.0% +28.7% +12.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $23.09BFY2026 $36.07BFY2026 $8.50BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +5.5%FY2026 +17.5%FY2026 +1.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +3.5% -0.9% +19.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAEPNRGROK
Held by institutions 92.1% 93.7% 89.2%
Institutions holding 1,987 1,025 1,544
Change in shares held, QoQ +13.2% +0.7% +3.5%
Institutions buying 1,065 509 808
Institutions selling 586 386 438
Buyers to sellers 1.82 1.32 1.84

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AEPNRGROK
AEP 1.00 0.29 -0.07
NRG 0.29 1.00 0.42
ROK -0.07 0.42 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AEP, NRG and ROK?

American Electric Power (AEP) is the largest by market capitalisation: American Electric Power (AEP) $70.48B, Nrg Energy (NRG) $17.42B, Rockwell Automation (ROK) $49.23B.

Which stock is cheaper, AEP, NRG and ROK?

American Electric Power (AEP) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (American Electric Power (AEP) 18.6x, Nrg Energy (NRG) 22.3x, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 41.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Nrg Energy (NRG) is cheapest (American Electric Power (AEP) 21.6x, Nrg Energy (NRG) 11.3x, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 35.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Nrg Energy (NRG) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: American Electric Power (AEP) +11.1%, Nrg Energy (NRG) +12.8%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) +11.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

American Electric Power (AEP) has the highest net margin (American Electric Power (AEP) 16.1%, Nrg Energy (NRG) 2.4%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 13.4%). On return on invested capital, Rockwell Automation (ROK) leads (American Electric Power (AEP) 5.8%, Nrg Energy (NRG) 5.8%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 21.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Rockwell Automation (ROK) returned the most: American Electric Power (AEP) +8.3%, Nrg Energy (NRG) -44.8%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) +22.5%. Over five years, Nrg Energy (NRG) compounded fastest (American Electric Power (AEP) +9.1%/yr, Nrg Energy (NRG) +22.1%/yr, Rockwell Automation (ROK) +5.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: American Electric Power (AEP) 0.00%, Nrg Energy (NRG) 0.03%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 0.00%. American Electric Power (AEP) and Rockwell Automation (ROK) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, American Electric Power (AEP) has been the steadiest (American Electric Power (AEP) 18.5%, Nrg Energy (NRG) 49.8%, Rockwell Automation (ROK) 31.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AEP, NRG and ROK?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, American Electric Power (AEP) leads on 4. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.