Is VST or XEL cheaper?

On trailing earnings, XEL is cheaper: VST trades at a 27.10 P/E and XEL at 23.28.

Which has grown faster, VST or XEL?

Over the past five years, VST grew revenue faster — VST at a 6.97% CAGR versus XEL at 3.82%.

Does VST or XEL pay a bigger dividend?

VST yields 0.56% and XEL yields 2.85% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is VST or XEL more profitable?

XEL runs the higher net margin — VST at 13.82% versus XEL at 14.14%.

Which has been the better investment, VST or XEL?

Over the past 5-year, VST delivered the higher annualized total return — VST at 57.80% versus XEL at 9.84%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

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

VST leads on 8 of 15 compared metrics, though XEL is the cheaper stock.

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 June 25, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

Total return — VST vs XEL

growth of $100 · last 10y

VST +950.8%XEL +105.8%VST compounded faster

Log scale — wide-divergence pair

VST XEL

VST vs XEL: by the numbers

•VST is the larger company ($54.92B vs $50.86B market cap).
•XEL trades at the lower earnings multiple (23.28 vs 27.10 P/E).
•XEL converts more revenue to profit (14.14% vs 13.82% net margin).
•VST grew revenue faster over the past five years (6.97% vs 3.82% CAGR).
•XEL pays the higher dividend yield (2.85% vs 0.56%).

Which is better, VST or XEL?

Metric tally: VST 8 · XEL 7

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueXEL(lower P/E)

GrowthVST(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

IncomeXEL(higher dividend yield)

QualityXEL(higher ROIC)

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	VST	XEL
P/E ratio	27.10	23.28●
Forward P/E	14.38●	17.95
P/S ratio	3.41	3.45
P/B ratio	9.89	2.14●
PEG ratio	2.42●	5.54
EV / EBITDA	11.48●	14.23
FCF yield	2.03%	—

Profitability

Metric	VST	XEL
Gross margin	12.72%	18.91%●
Operating margin	2.07%	19.85%●
Net margin	13.82%	14.14%●
ROE	40.04%●	8.78%
ROIC	3.30%	3.77%●

Dividends

Metric	VST	XEL
Dividend yield	0.56%	2.85%●
Payout ratio	41.18%	67.59%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	VST	XEL
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	6.97%●	3.82%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	11.20%●	4.20%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	-11.04%●	-15.80%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	57.80%●	7.59%

Frequently asked

Which is better, VST or XEL?: It depends on your goal. value: XEL (lower P/E); growth: VST (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); income: XEL (higher dividend yield); quality: XEL (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, VST leads 8 to 7.
Is VST or XEL cheaper?: On trailing earnings, XEL is cheaper: VST trades at a 27.10 P/E and XEL at 23.28.
Which has grown faster, VST or XEL?: Over the past five years, VST grew revenue faster — VST at a 6.97% CAGR versus XEL at 3.82%.
Does VST or XEL pay a bigger dividend?: VST yields 0.56% and XEL yields 2.85% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is VST or XEL more profitable?: XEL runs the higher net margin — VST at 13.82% versus XEL at 14.14%.
Which has been the better investment, VST or XEL?: Over the past 5-year, VST delivered the higher annualized total return — VST at 57.80% versus XEL at 9.84%. 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 June 25, 2026.