Which has the lower trailing P/E, AEP or XEL?

AEP has the lower trailing P/E: AEP trades at 19.65 and XEL at 22.95. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, AEP or XEL?

Over the past five years, AEP grew revenue faster — AEP at a 7.51% CAGR versus XEL at 3.82%.

Does AEP or XEL pay a bigger dividend?

AEP yields 2.84% and XEL yields 2.89% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is AEP or XEL more profitable?

AEP runs the higher net margin — AEP at 16.49% versus XEL at 14.14%.

How have AEP and XEL total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, AEP delivered 10.60% and XEL delivered 9.57% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP) vs Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL)

A side-by-side comparison of American Electric Power Company, Inc. and Xcel Energy Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of July 29, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

AEP

American Electric Power Company, Inc.

$70.86B

$130.24UtilitiesDelayed quote: Jul 29, 2026, 2:10 PM EDT

XEL

Xcel Energy Inc.

$49.24B

$78.87UtilitiesDelayed quote: Jul 29, 2026, 2:10 PM EDT

Total return — AEP vs XEL

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 30y

AEP +1104.4%XEL +1173.0%XEL compounded faster

AEP XEL

AEP vs XEL: by the numbers

•AEP is the larger company ($70.86B vs $49.24B market cap).
•AEP trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (19.65 vs 22.95 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•AEP converts more revenue to profit (16.49% vs 14.14% net margin).
•AEP grew revenue faster over the past five years (7.51% vs 3.82% CAGR).
•XEL pays the higher dividend yield (2.89% vs 2.84%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	AEP	XEL
P/E ratio	19.65	22.95
Forward P/E	20.95	19.53
P/S ratio	3.28	3.40
P/B ratio	2.29	2.11
PEG ratio	0.91	5.46
EV / EBITDA	14.18	14.89
FCF yield	10.52%	N/A

Profitability

Metric	AEP	XEL
Gross margin	31.81%	18.91%
Operating margin	23.47%	19.85%
Net margin	16.49%	14.14%
ROE	11.49%	8.78%
ROIC	4.71%	3.77%

Dividends

Metric	AEP	XEL
Dividend yield	2.84%	2.89%
Payout ratio	56.76%	67.59%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	AEP	XEL
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	7.51%	3.82%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	8.45%	4.20%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	41.49%	N/A
Total return CAGR (5Y)	12.35%	6.51%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, AEP or XEL?: AEP has the lower trailing P/E: AEP trades at 19.65 and XEL at 22.95. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, AEP or XEL?: Over the past five years, AEP grew revenue faster — AEP at a 7.51% CAGR versus XEL at 3.82%.
Does AEP or XEL pay a bigger dividend?: AEP yields 2.84% and XEL yields 2.89% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is AEP or XEL more profitable?: AEP runs the higher net margin — AEP at 16.49% versus XEL at 14.14%.
How have AEP and XEL total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, AEP delivered 10.60% and XEL delivered 9.57% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full AEP analysis Full XEL analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

American Electric Power P/E ratio Xcel Energy P/E ratio American Electric Power dividend yield Xcel Energy dividend yield American Electric Power ROE Xcel Energy ROE American Electric Power operating margin Xcel Energy operating margin American Electric Power revenue growth Xcel Energy revenue growth American Electric Power free cash flow Xcel Energy free cash flow

American Electric Power & Xcel Energy appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks Highest FCF Yield Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified July 29, 2026.