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NextDecade (NEXT) AI Stock Analysis

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NEXT

NextDecade

(NASDAQ:NEXT)

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Rating:50Neutral
Price Target:$6.50â–¼(-0.61% Downside)
Action:reiterated
Date:10/30/26

The score is held back primarily by very weak financial performance (pre-revenue losses, heavy negative free cash flow, and extreme leverage with thin equity). Technicals are modestly supportive with the stock trading above key moving averages, and the latest earnings call was constructive on project execution and cash flow/margin outlook, but timing-to-first-LNG and funding/contracting risks remain material. Valuation metrics provide limited support due to negative earnings and no dividend yield.

Positive Factors
Construction ProgressRio Grande LNG is advancing on budget and ahead of guaranteed schedules, reducing execution uncertainty for the core asset. Continued completion and commissioning progress improves the credibility of the planned transition from development spending toward contracted LNG infrastructure cash generation.
Negative Factors
Pre-Revenue LossesThe company remains pre-commercial, with no reported revenue and recurring operating losses while its principal LNG assets are still under development. Until production begins and contracts generate cash, earnings visibility remains weak and the business must absorb substantial costs without an operating revenue base.

NextDecade (NEXT) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

-30%-20%-10%0%10%20%30%40%50%60%NEXT+7.92%SPY+14.28%Dec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
Market Cap
$1.76B
Dividend Yield
―
Average Volume (3M)
2.77M
Price to Earnings (P/E)
-18.2
Beta (1Y)
0.71
Revenue Growth
―
EPS Growth
50.88%
Country
US
Employees
360
Sector
Energy
Sector Strength
65
Industry
Oil & Gas Exploration & Production

NextDecade Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

NextDecade Corporation, an energy company, engages in the construction and development activities related to the liquefaction of natural gas in the United States. The company constructs and develops natural gas liquefaction and export facilities loca...

How the Company Makes Money

NextDecade’s expected revenue model is tied to the ownership and operation of LNG export infrastructure (and related midstream assets) rather than upstream oil and gas production. The company’s principal planned earnings sources are: (1) LNG liquefac...

NextDecade Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Oct 29, 2026(Q3-2026)|% Change Since:0.46%|Next Earnings Date:Mar 08, 2027
Earnings Call SentimentPositive

The call was strongly constructive, supported by construction remaining on budget and ahead of schedule, higher-than-base-case implied LNG margins, projected distributable cash flow of over $2.4 billion, successful debt refinancing, strong LNG demand, and progress toward Train 6 and later expansions. The main challenges were that first LNG is still pending, substantial ramp-up volumes remain uncontracted, Train 6 financing and permitting are not finalized, and project cash flows are subject to financing restrictions and startup-market uncertainty. Highlights significantly outweighed the lowlights.

Positive Updates

Rio Grande LNG Construction Remains Ahead of Schedule
Phase I construction remains safe, on budget, and ahead of schedule. The company remains on schedule to introduce hydrocarbons into the facility before year-end. First LNG production from Train 1 is now guided for the second quarter of 2027, while Train 1 substantial completion is expected in the third quarter of 2027, one quarter ahead of its guaranteed schedule.

Negative Updates

First LNG Timing Was Narrowed to the Second Quarter of 2027
The company narrowed its guidance for first LNG production from Train 1 to the second quarter of 2027. Although substantial completion remains expected one quarter ahead of the guaranteed schedule, first LNG has not yet been produced and the company is still progressing through commissioning and startup milestones.

Company Guidance

NextDecade narrowed first LNG production from Train 1 to the second quarter of 2027, expects first gas into the facility in the fourth quarter of this year, and expects Train 1 substantial completion in the third quarter of 2027, one quarter ahead of its guaranteed schedule; Trains 1 and 2 were nearly 80% complete, Train 3 was more than 55% complete, Train 4 was 22.5% complete, and Train 5 was 14% complete as of September 2026. Based on current forward LNG and U.S. gas prices, volume-weighted average implied margins are estimated to average over $6 per MMBtu, more than $1 per MMBtu above base case guidance, with NextDecade’s share of project-level distributable cash flow totaling over $2.4 billion, or over 20% above the projected $2 billion; each $1 per MMBtu change would change projected cash flow by approximately $350 million-$400 million. The base case assumes $5 per MMBtu margins, a NextDecade-level debt target of $2 billion-$2.25 billion, and approximately $2 billion of cumulative cash flow, while the downside steady-state guidance case assumes $3 per MMBtu margins and approximately 2 million tons per annum of additional contracted capacity. Train 6 FID is targeted for the second half of next year, with more than Train 5’s 75%, likely less than phase IV’s 90% contracted.

NextDecade Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Financial profile remains very weak: no revenue, persistently negative gross profit and net income, negative operating cash flow, and deeply negative free cash flow alongside rapidly rising debt and a minimal equity base. TTM loss and operating cash burn improved versus 2025, but the company still appears highly dependent on external financing until production begins.

Income Statement

12Very Negative

Balance Sheet

8Very Negative

Cash Flow

9Very Negative
Financial statement breakdown
BreakdownTTMDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue000000
Gross Profit-6.06M-12.12M-12.71M-6.31M-162.00K-184.00K
EBITDA455.31M-327.97M306.33M-209.60M-59.15M-21.30M
Net Income-93.73M-306.43M-61.75M-162.26M-60.07M-22.04M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets17.81B12.43B6.40B3.32B312.43M222.10M
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments129.91M143.78M148.14M38.24M62.79M25.55M
Total Debt12.17B8.66B4.07B1.97B1.56M596.00K
Total Liabilities14.06B10.12B4.66B2.58B55.62M33.81M
Stockholders Equity111.85M95.34M377.64M287.92M256.81M188.29M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow-5.66B-5.02B-2.66B-1.81B-73.83M-30.07M
Operating Cash Flow-36.37M-169.40M-95.58M-73.62M-40.08M-17.96M
Investing Cash Flow-5.37B-4.85B-2.57B-1.75B-40.89M-18.53M
Financing Cash Flow5.25B5.34B2.77B2.06B118.20M39.44M

NextDecade Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis SentimentNeutral
Last Price6.54

Price Trends

50DMA6.70Negative
100DMA6.98Negative
200DMA7.00Negative

Market Momentum

MACD-0.10Positive
RSI48.14Neutral
STOCH22.94Neutral

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For NEXT, the sentiment is Neutral. The current price of 6.54 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 6.34, below the 50-day MA of 6.70, and below the 200-day MA of 7.00, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of -0.10 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 48.14 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 22.94 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Neutral sentiment for NEXT.

NextDecade Risk Analysis

NextDecade disclosed 44 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. NextDecade reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.

  • Finance & Corporate14
  • Tech & Innovation2
  • Legal & Regulatory8
  • Production9
  • Ability to Sell6
  • Macro & Political5
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy

Latest Risks Added

3 New Risks
1.We face risks related to the uncertainty regarding the future of international trade agreements and the potential for retaliatory tariffs on LNG.Q4, 2025
2.We may not be successful in developing or constructing all of our proposed expansion projects.Q4, 2024
3.The decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals could impact Rio Grande's ability to complete Phase 1, the cost to complete Phase 1, the timing of the completion of Phase 1, our ability to take a final investment decision on Trains 4 and 5, our ability to develop additional expansion trains at the Rio Grande LNG Facility, and our ability to achieve expected investment returns.Q4, 2024

NextDecade Peers Comparison

Overall Rating

UnderperformOutperform
Sector (65)

Financial Indicators

NEXT against its peers
NameOverall RatingMarket CapP/E RatioROEDividend YieldRevenue GrowthEPS Growth
KBRKBR75Outperform$4.91B10.4327.25%1.82%-2.98%13.08%
MTZMTZ69Neutral$14.52B30.6113.99%―25.66%45.34%
Sector *65Neutral$15.17B7.614.09%5.20%3.87%-62.32%
JJ64Neutral$18.39B54.879.81%0.89%20.03%-28.63%
FLRFLR55Neutral$6.47B-7.72-40.09%―1.92%-135.87%
NEXTNEXT50Neutral$1.71B-18.17-314.54%――50.88%
ACMACM48Neutral$9.09B31.7912.54%1.77%-4.24%-44.22%

* Energy Sector Average

Performance Comparison

-50%0%50%100%NEXTACMFLRJKBRMTZDec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
NEXT and its peers over the selected period
Show on chartTickerCompany NamePriceChange% Change
NEXTNextdecade Corp6.540.569.36%
ACMAecom70.25-61.37-46.63%
FLRFluor Corporation50.627.5817.61%
JJacobs Solutions Inc.157.475.883.88%
KBRKBR Inc36.29-5.24-12.62%
MTZMasTec Inc189.18-0.90-0.47%

NextDecade Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board Changes

NextDecade Announces Board Resignation and Planned Successor

Neutral
Oct 1, 2026

On September 29, 2026, NextDecade Corporation announced that Giovanni Oddo resigned from its Board of Directors, effective immediately, after having joined the board in May 2022 under a Purchaser Rights Agreement with Ninteenth Investment Company LLC...

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.

Date of analysis: Oct 30, 2026