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DUK vs. XEL: Duke Energy vs. Xcel Energy Stock Comparison

How do Duke Energy (DUK) and Xcel Energy (XEL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Duke Energy (DUK) and Xcel Energy (XEL) are both classified in the Electric Utilities sub-industry within the broader Electric Utilities industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Duke Energy (DUK) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
Profile ItemDUKXEL
NameDuke Energy CorporationXcel Energy Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorUtilitiesUtilities
GICS Industry GroupUtilitiesUtilities
GICS IndustryElectric UtilitiesElectric Utilities
GICS Sub-IndustryElectric UtilitiesElectric Utilities
Market Capitalization99.63 billion USD51.14 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980February 21, 1973
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DUK
XEL
GSPC
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Duke Energy (DUK) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Duke Energy (DUK) and Xcel Energy (XEL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Duke Energy (DUK) and Xcel Energy (XEL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Duke Energy (DUK) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricDUKXEL
Total Return (1Y)7.39%2.65%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)17.76%14.93%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)8.82%8.26%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DUK
XEL
GSPC
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Duke Energy (DUK) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Duke Energy (DUK) and Xcel Energy (XEL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Duke Energy (DUK) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricDUKXEL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)17.00%19.49%
Beta (5Y)0.320.33
Max Drawdown (5Y)-24.16%-34.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.11M5.83M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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DUK and XEL are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Duke Energy (DUK) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricDUKXEL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.18-0.08
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.27-0.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Duke Energy (DUK) at 10.10% and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 11.44% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

DUK

Utilities industry group

10.10%

Max
17.99%
Q3
12.01%
DUK
10.10%
Median
9.44%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%

XEL

Utilities industry group

11.44%

Max
17.99%
Q3
12.01%
XEL
11.44%
Median
9.44%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%
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Duke Energy (DUK) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Xcel Energy (XEL) at 17.95% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Duke Energy (DUK) at 16.16%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

DUK

Utilities industry group

16.16%

Max
28.78%
Q3
17.30%
DUK
16.16%
Median
12.73%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%

XEL

Utilities industry group

17.95%

Max
28.78%
XEL
17.95%
Q3
17.30%
Median
12.73%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%
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Duke Energy (DUK) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Duke Energy (DUK) at 30.03% and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 28.50% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

DUK

Utilities industry group

30.03%

Max
53.83%
Q3
31.12%
DUK
30.03%
Median
23.62%
Q1
15.45%
Min
-4.90%

XEL

Utilities industry group

28.50%

Max
53.83%
Q3
31.12%
XEL
28.50%
Median
23.62%
Q1
15.45%
Min
-4.90%
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Duke Energy (DUK) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Duke Energy (DUK) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricDUKXEL
ROE (TTM)10.10%11.44%
ROA (TTM)2.92%2.37%
Net Margin (TTM)16.16%17.95%
Operating Margin (TTM)30.03%28.50%
Gross Margin (TTM)52.58%47.27%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Duke Energy (DUK) at 6.19% and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 9.14% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Duke Energy (DUK) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Duke Energy (DUK) at 10.51% and Xcel Energy (XEL) at -0.58% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Duke Energy (DUK) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Duke Energy (DUK) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricDUKXEL
Revenue Growth (YoY)6.19%9.14%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)3.87%-1.42%
EPS Growth (YoY)10.51%-0.58%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)23.75%2.56%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Duke Energy (DUK) at 0.68 and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 0.69 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

DUK

Utilities industry group

0.68

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
Median
0.88
DUK
0.68
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29

XEL

Utilities industry group

0.69

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
Median
0.88
XEL
0.69
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29
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Duke Energy (DUK) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Duke Energy (DUK) at 1.63 and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 1.68 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

DUK

Utilities industry group

1.63

Max
2.63
Q3
1.77
DUK
1.63
Median
1.35
Q1
0.84
Min
0.00

XEL

Utilities industry group

1.68

Max
2.63
Q3
1.77
XEL
1.68
Median
1.35
Q1
0.84
Min
0.00
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Duke Energy (DUK) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Duke Energy (DUK) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricDUKXEL
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.680.69
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.631.68
Net Debt / EBITDA5.386.35

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Duke Energy (DUK) at 3.29% and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 2.92% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

DUK

Utilities industry group

3.29%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
DUK
3.29%
Median
2.85%
Q1
0.66%
Min
0.00%

XEL

Utilities industry group

2.92%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
XEL
2.92%
Median
2.85%
Q1
0.66%
Min
0.00%
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Duke Energy (DUK) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Duke Energy (DUK) at 62.76% and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 54.72% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

DUK

Utilities industry group

62.76%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
DUK
62.76%
Median
56.38%
Q1
32.38%
Min
0.00%

XEL

Utilities industry group

54.72%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
Median
56.38%
XEL
54.72%
Q1
32.38%
Min
0.00%
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Duke Energy (DUK) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Duke Energy (DUK) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricDUKXEL
Dividend Yield (TTM)3.29%2.92%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)62.76%54.72%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Duke Energy (DUK) at 18.74 and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 18.57 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

DUK

Utilities industry group

18.74

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
Median
19.64
DUK
18.74
Q1
15.17
Min
3.34

XEL

Utilities industry group

18.57

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
Median
19.64
XEL
18.57
Q1
15.17
Min
3.34
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Duke Energy (DUK) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Duke Energy (DUK) at 2.99 and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 3.44 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

DUK

Utilities industry group

2.99

Max
6.35
Q3
3.63
DUK
2.99
Median
2.63
Q1
1.52
Min
0.00

XEL

Utilities industry group

3.44

Max
6.35
Q3
3.63
XEL
3.44
Median
2.63
Q1
1.52
Min
0.00
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Duke Energy (DUK) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Duke Energy (DUK) at 1.83 and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 1.98 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

DUK

Utilities industry group

1.83

Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
DUK
1.83
Median
1.83
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34

XEL

Utilities industry group

1.98

Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
XEL
1.98
Median
1.83
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34
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Duke Energy (DUK) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Duke Energy (DUK) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricDUKXEL
P/E Ratio (TTM)18.7418.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.993.44
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.831.98
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-2.76%-16.32%