ROI GRIDHEAD TO HEAD

NRG vs NEE: which was the better investment?

NRG Energy, Inc. against NextEra Energy, Inc. on real daily total-return data — every dividend reinvested, from Dec 2, 2003 to Oct 15, 2026.

NRG EnergyNextEra
23 years of daily dataDividends reinvestedUpdated daily

Set up your comparison

1

What are you comparing?

Pick one investment — or add several to build a portfolio.

NRGNRG Energy, Inc.
2

Compare against

The benchmark your investment has to beat.

NEE
3

Time & money

When the money goes in, and how much.

Leave empty for earliest

Leave empty for today

$
$

0 for a one-time investment

Rebalance portfolio

Daily total-return data — dividends reinvested. Monthly additions buy on the first trading day.

Track your entire portfolio in one free Google Sheet

Enter your trades once and values update automatically. We'll send it straight to your inbox.

I'll occasionally send investing tools and insights.

Related comparisons

Browse all match-ups on the comparison hub, build your own in the Compare Investments tool, or check a single asset's exact-date returns with the Investment Calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Did NRG beat NEE?

No — measured from Dec 2, 2003 to Oct 15, 2026 with dividends reinvested, NEE came out ahead: $197,714 versus $144,086 from a $10,000 start. That gap compounds from a 13.9% annual return against 12.4%.

What would $10,000 in NRG be worth today?

$10,000 invested in NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG) on Dec 2, 2003 would be worth about $144,086 as of Oct 15, 2026, a total return of 1340.9% (12.4% per year). The same $10,000 in NEE would be worth $197,714.

Which was riskier — NRG or NEE?

NRG swung with an annualized volatility of 39.0% and a worst peak-to-trough drop of -79.4%; NEE ran at 23.5% volatility with a -47.8% maximum drawdown. Risk-adjusted (Sharpe ratio), that is 0.27 for NRG vs 0.51 for NEE.

What data is this comparison based on?

Daily adjusted closing prices covering Dec 2, 2003 through Oct 15, 2026 — the full period where both assets have price history. Adjusted prices include dividends and splits, so these are total returns. The page refreshes with new market data every day.

Can I change the dates, amounts, or add monthly investing?

Yes — the interactive tool on this page is pre-loaded with NRG vs NEE. You can set any start and end date, change the starting amount, add monthly contributions, or build a multi-asset portfolio and compare it against any benchmark.