CEG vs NEE Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Constellation Energy and NextEra Energy are both clean energy utilities but with very different technology focuses. Constellation owns nuclear power — the only 24/7 carbon-free power source, highly valued by AI data centers. NextEra is the world's largest wind and solar developer with a regulated Florida utility. Nuclear's always-on reliability vs solar/wind's intermittency creates a fundamental difference in AI power demand positioning — Constellation has the advantage for data center contracts.
CEG vs NEE is the largest US nuclear power company uniquely positioned for 24/7 carbon-free AI data center power purchase agreements with life-extended reactor fleet creating decades of clean baseload supply (Constellation) versus the world's largest renewable energy developer with wind/solar/storage pipeline and regulated Florida utility providing earnings stability (NextEra) — nuclear baseload clean energy vs intermittent renewable scale development.
CEG holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. NEE has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+20.72% vs -10.35%), though CEG trades at the lower forward P/E (18.64x vs 19.55x). On fundamentals, CEG is growing revenue faster (63.80%), while NEE maintains the higher operating margin (30.18%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for CEG (+45.19%) than for NEE (+14.52%).
- →prefer the nuclear power company whose 24/7 carbon-free electricity uniquely positions it for AI data center PPAs that solar and wind cannot fulfill without storage
- →value Constellation's reactor life extension strategy — extending 60-year plants to 80 years generates decades of additional cash flow from fully depreciated assets
- →want direct AI infrastructure power demand exposure through nuclear PPA contracting following the Microsoft TMI precedent
- →are comfortable with nuclear plant safety and uptime risk, regulatory NRC complexity, and merchant power price exposure for uncontracted nuclear output
- →prefer the world's largest renewable energy developer with the deepest pipeline of wind, solar, and battery storage projects providing visibility through 2030+
- →value FPL's regulated Florida utility as a stable earnings base with state-approved rate returns funding NEE's renewable development investments
- →want the most diversified clean energy exposure across wind, solar, storage, and regulated utility with dividend growth track record
- →are comfortable with grid interconnection delays limiting development pace, interest rate sensitivity to renewable project economics, and NEP yield-co residual complexity
| Metric | CEG | NEE |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 52.6 | 50.1 |
| AI rank | #323 | #468 |
| Latest close | $274.06 | $86.75 |
| 1M return | +5.14% | -3.68% |
| 6M return | -19.62% | +8.05% |
| 1Y return | -10.35% | +20.72% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | CEG | NEE |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $8.94K (-10.6%) started 2025-06-18 | $12.12K (+21.2%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $69.5K (+595.0%) started 2022-01-19 | $14.17K (+41.7%) started 2021-06-21 |
| 10Y ago | $69.5K (+595.0%) started 2022-01-19 | $44.32K (+343.2%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | CEG | NEE |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $90.62B | $179.34B |
| Trailing P/E | 22.03 | 21.82 |
| Forward P/E | 18.64 | 19.55 |
| Price/Sales | 3.87 | 5.88 |
| EV/Revenue | 3.80 | 10.52 |
| Analyst target | $368.43 | $98.47 |
| Target upside | +45.19% | +14.52% |
| Metric | CEG | NEE |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 63.80% | 7.30% |
| Earnings growth | 1091.00% | 160.00% |
| EPS growth | +1091.00% | +160.00% |
| FCF margin | -15.00% | -66.22% |
| Operating margin | 21.86% | 30.18% |
| Profit margin | 12.69% | 29.37% |
| ROIC proxy | 16.10% | 10.32% |
| Return on equity | 16.10% | 10.32% |
| Dividend yield | 0.67% | 2.90% |
| Beta | 1.09 | 0.67 |
| Debt/equity | 66.43 | 156.69 |
| Current ratio | 1.36 | 0.54 |
| Quick ratio | 0.48 | 0.34 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | CEG | NEE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -10.56% | +21.21% |
| CAGR | -10.58% | +21.24% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.10 | 0.75 | |
| Max drawdown | 40.02% | 14.53% | |
| Max daily drop | 10.90% | 6.09% | |
| Max wkly drop | 15.28% | 7.21% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +573.28% | +28.32% |
| CAGR | +54.07% | +5.12% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.03 | 0.15 | |
| Max drawdown | 50.70% | 44.97% | |
| Max daily drop | 20.85% | 8.97% | |
| Max wkly drop | 19.29% | 22.71% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +573.28% | +247.53% |
| CAGR | +54.07% | +13.27% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.03 | 0.44 | |
| Max drawdown | 50.70% | 44.97% | |
| Max daily drop | 20.85% | 13.42% | |
| Max wkly drop | 19.29% | 24.36% |
| Category | CEG | NEE |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Constellation Energy Corporation | NextEra Energy, Inc. |
| Sector | Utilities | Utilities |
| Industry | Utilities - Renewable | Utilities - Regulated Electric |
| Core business | Constellation Energy is the largest US nuclear power company, operating 21 nuclear reactors across 14 power plants. Constellation was spun off from Exelon in 2022. Nuclear power provides 24/7 carbon-free electricity — a highly attractive attribute for AI data centers requiring reliable clean power. Constellation's Three Mile Island (Crane Clean Energy Center) restart for Microsoft is the landmark example of AI data center nuclear power purchase agreements. Constellation's nuclear fleet is also seeking life extensions beyond 60 years, extending asset lives without new capital investment. | NextEra Energy is the world's largest generator of wind and solar power, operating through two segments: Florida Power & Light (regulated utility serving Florida) and NextEra Energy Resources (competitive renewables — wind, solar, and battery storage). Florida Power & Light is one of the most efficient regulated utilities, serving 5.8M Florida customers. NextEra Energy Resources develops, owns, and operates wind and solar farms across the US, plus growing energy storage. NextEra's pipeline of renewable development projects is the largest in the US. |
| Investor focus | Investors track nuclear power purchase agreement (PPA) wins with AI data centers, nuclear plant life extensions, power pricing in deregulated markets, and carbon-free energy premium pricing. | Investors track NextEra Energy Resources new renewables origination and backlog, FPL rate case outcomes, and dividend growth rate. |
- →Nuclear is the only 24/7 carbon-free power source: AI data centers and corporate clean energy commitments require always-on clean electricity that solar and wind cannot guarantee without storage
- →Microsoft TMI deal established nuclear PPAs as viable — Constellation's landmark Three Mile Island restart with 20-year Microsoft PPA set the template for AI data center nuclear contracting
- →Life extensions without major new capex: extending nuclear plant licenses from 60 to 80 years generates decades of additional cash flow from fully depreciated assets
- →World's largest renewable energy developer: NextEra's development capability across wind, solar, and storage creates competitive advantages from supply chain scale, development expertise, and interconnection experience
- →FPL regulated utility provides stable earnings base: Florida's growing population and FPL's efficient operations create a predictable regulated earnings stream funding NextEra's growth investments
- →Pipeline and backlog visibility: NextEra's multi-year renewable development backlog provides earnings visibility that merchant power companies cannot match
- →Nuclear plant uptime risk: any nuclear safety event or extended outage creates significant revenue and reputational risk for Constellation's merchant nuclear model
- →Regulatory risk: nuclear plant licensing, NRC oversight, and state utility regulation create compliance complexities and potential operating cost increases
- →Power price dependence: Constellation's unhedged nuclear power sells at merchant power prices — extended low power prices compress margins even with clean energy premium
- →Renewable development projects face interconnection delays: the US electric grid's interconnection queue has years-long delays that compress NextEra's development pace below potential
- →Interest rate sensitivity: renewable project economics depend on financing costs — higher rates increase project costs and compress renewable PPA spreads
- →NextEra Energy Partners (NEP, formerly MLP) created overhang — the yield-co vehicle's financial difficulties in 2023 impacted NEE stock temporarily
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