NRG Energy Inc (NRG) stock surged 7.18% in the pre-market session on Wednesday, following the company's impressive financial results for the full year 2024 and an upbeat outlook for 2025. The energy giant reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $6.83 for 2024, exceeding analysts' expectations and marking a significant increase from the previous year.

The company's strong performance was driven by several factors, including higher retail power margins, increased customer counts, favorable natural gas wholesale and retail gross margins, and growth in the Vivint Smart Home segment. NRG's Texas and East regions demonstrated robust operational performance, while the West/Services/Other segment benefited from higher retail power margins and spark spread expansion at Cottonwood.

Looking ahead, NRG reaffirmed its guidance for 2025, projecting adjusted EPS in the range of $6.75 to $7.75 and free cash flow before growth investments (FCFbG) between $1.975 billion and $2.225 billion. The company also outlined strategic developments, including a major project development agreement with GE Vernova and Kiewit to bring up to 5.4 GW of new gas-fired generation online between 2029 and 2032, as well as plans to supply power to data center developers.