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

XEL has the lower trailing P/E: VST trades at 23.64 and XEL at 19.63. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, VST or XEL?

Over the past five years, VST grew revenue faster — VST at a 6.24% CAGR versus XEL at 2.79%.

Does VST or XEL pay a bigger dividend?

VST yields 0.60% and XEL yields 3.05% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is VST or XEL more profitable?

XEL runs the higher net margin — VST at 13.89% versus XEL at 15.28%.

How have VST and XEL total returns compared?

Over the past 5 years, VST delivered 54.37% and XEL delivered 5.22% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Vistra Corp. (VST) vs Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL)

A side-by-side comparison of Vistra Corp. and Xcel Energy Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of September 10, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

VST

Vistra Corp.

$47.34B

$140.41UtilitiesDelayed quote: Sep 22, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

XEL

Xcel Energy Inc.

$45.01B

$72.06UtilitiesDelayed quote: Sep 22, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — VST vs XEL

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

VST +1043.3% (+27.6%/yr)XEL +145.6% (+9.4%/yr)VST compounded faster over this window

VST XEL

VST vs XEL: by the numbers

•VST is the larger company ($47.34B vs $45.01B market cap).
•XEL trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (19.63 vs 23.64 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•XEL converts more revenue to profit (15.28% vs 13.89% net margin).
•VST grew revenue faster over the past five years (6.24% vs 2.79% CAGR).
•XEL pays the higher dividend yield (3.05% vs 0.60%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	VST	XEL
P/E ratio	23.64	19.63
Forward P/E	16.31	17.51
P/S ratio	2.96	3.08
P/B ratio	8.64	1.87
EV / EBITDA	21.54	13.63
FCF yield	2.91%	N/A

Profitability

Metric	VST	XEL
Gross margin	12.97%	48.84%
Operating margin	2.34%	20.98%
Net margin	13.89%	15.28%
ROE	40.48%	9.28%
ROIC	0.87%	3.74%

Dividends

Metric	VST	XEL
Dividend yield	0.60%	3.05%
Payout ratio	15.32%	63.35%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	VST	XEL
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	6.24%	2.79%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	11.20%	4.20%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	-42.65%	-15.80%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	54.37%	5.22%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, VST or XEL?: XEL has the lower trailing P/E: VST trades at 23.64 and XEL at 19.63. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, VST or XEL?: Over the past five years, VST grew revenue faster — VST at a 6.24% CAGR versus XEL at 2.79%.
Does VST or XEL pay a bigger dividend?: VST yields 0.60% and XEL yields 3.05% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is VST or XEL more profitable?: XEL runs the higher net margin — VST at 13.89% versus XEL at 15.28%.
How have VST and XEL total returns compared?: Over the past 5 years, VST delivered 54.37% and XEL delivered 5.22% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full VST analysis Full XEL analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

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

Vistra & Xcel Energy appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks Highest ROE 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 September 10, 2026.