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

XEL has the lower trailing P/E: VST trades at 61.13 and XEL at 21.27. 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 7.52% CAGR versus XEL at 2.79%.

Does VST or XEL pay a bigger dividend?

VST yields 0.65% and XEL yields 2.98% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is VST or XEL more profitable?

VST runs the higher net margin — VST at 16.67% versus XEL at 15.28%.

How have VST and XEL total returns compared?

Over the past 5 years, VST delivered 52.68% and XEL delivered 9.53% 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 August 8, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

VST

Vistra Corp.

$47.40B

$140.59UtilitiesAt close: Aug 7, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

XEL

Xcel Energy Inc.

$48.77B

$78.07UtilitiesAt close: Aug 7, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

Total return — VST vs XEL

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

VST +963.8%XEL +159.3%VST compounded faster

VST XEL

VST vs XEL: by the numbers

•XEL is the larger company ($48.77B vs $47.40B market cap).
•XEL trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (21.27 vs 61.13 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•VST converts more revenue to profit (16.67% vs 15.28% net margin).
•VST grew revenue faster over the past five years (7.52% vs 2.79% CAGR).
•XEL pays the higher dividend yield (2.98% vs 0.65%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	VST	XEL
P/E ratio	61.13	21.27
Forward P/E	15.51	18.97
P/S ratio	2.96	3.35
P/B ratio	8.58	2.03
PEG ratio	5.46	5.06
EV / EBITDA	20.40	14.27
FCF yield	2.34%	N/A

Profitability

Metric	VST	XEL
Gross margin	17.52%	48.84%
Operating margin	7.93%	20.98%
Net margin	16.67%	15.28%
ROE	18.47%	9.28%
ROIC	3.30%	3.77%

Dividends

Metric	VST	XEL
Dividend yield	0.65%	2.98%
Payout ratio	41.18%	67.59%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	VST	XEL
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	7.52%	2.79%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	11.20%	4.20%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	-42.65%	-15.80%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	52.68%	5.79%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, VST or XEL?: XEL has the lower trailing P/E: VST trades at 61.13 and XEL at 21.27. 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 7.52% CAGR versus XEL at 2.79%.
Does VST or XEL pay a bigger dividend?: VST yields 0.65% and XEL yields 2.98% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is VST or XEL more profitable?: VST runs the higher net margin — VST at 16.67% versus XEL at 15.28%.
How have VST and XEL total returns compared?: Over the past 5 years, VST delivered 52.68% and XEL delivered 9.53% 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

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 August 8, 2026.