FE vs. XEL: FirstEnergy vs. Xcel Energy Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do FirstEnergy (FE) 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

FirstEnergy (FE) 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 FirstEnergy (FE) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
Profile Item	FE	XEL
Name	FirstEnergy Corp.	Xcel Energy Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Electric Utilities	Electric Utilities
GICS Sub-Industry	Electric Utilities	Electric Utilities
Market Capitalization	26.88 billion USD	51.14 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	November 10, 1997	February 21, 1973
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

XEL

GSPC

FirstEnergy (FE) 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 FirstEnergy (FE) and Xcel Energy (XEL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
Metric	FE	XEL
Total Return (1Y)	5.62%	2.65%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	14.20%	14.93%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	8.32%	8.26%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

XEL

GSPC

FirstEnergy (FE) 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 FirstEnergy (FE) and Xcel Energy (XEL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
Metric	FE	XEL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	16.31%	19.49%
Beta (5Y)	0.39	0.33
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-28.59%	-34.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)	4.29M	5.83M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FE 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 FirstEnergy (FE) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
Metric	FE	XEL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.08	-0.08
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.11	-0.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 10.04% 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.

FE

Utilities industry group

10.04%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
FE: 10.04%
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%

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Xcel Energy (XEL) at 17.95% keeps a top-quartile share of each sales dollar as profit, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 7.49% keeps a bottom-quartile share.

FE

Utilities industry group

7.49%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
FE: 7.49%
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%

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 21.24% and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 28.50% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

FE

Utilities industry group

21.24%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
FE: 21.24%
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%

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
Metric	FE	XEL
ROE (TTM)	10.04%	11.44%
ROA (TTM)	3.66%	2.37%
Net Margin (TTM)	7.49%	17.95%
Operating Margin (TTM)	21.24%	28.50%
Gross Margin (TTM)	69.63%	47.27%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 12.01% 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.

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

EPS Growth

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 3.53% 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.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
Metric	FE	XEL
Revenue Growth (YoY)	12.01%	9.14%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	6.59%	-1.42%
EPS Growth (YoY)	3.53%	-0.58%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	35.34%	2.56%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Xcel Energy (XEL) at 0.69 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 0.38 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for FE.

FE

Utilities industry group

0.38

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
FE: 0.38
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

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Xcel Energy (XEL) at 1.68 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 2.07 uses more debt funding than most peers.

FE

Utilities industry group

2.07

Max: 2.63
FE: 2.07
Q3: 1.77
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

FirstEnergy (FE) 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 FirstEnergy (FE) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
Metric	FE	XEL
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.38	0.69
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.07	1.68
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.85	6.35

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

FirstEnergy (FE) at 3.90% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Xcel Energy (XEL) at 2.92% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, FE the richer one.

FE

Utilities industry group

3.90%

Max: 6.66%
FE: 3.90%
Q3: 3.58%
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%

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Xcel Energy (XEL) at 54.72% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 87.92% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

FE

Utilities industry group

87.92%

Max: 113.04%
FE: 87.92%
Q3: 68.72%
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%

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
Metric	FE	XEL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	3.90%	2.92%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	87.92%	54.72%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 22.43 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.

FE

Utilities industry group

22.43

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
FE: 22.43
Median: 19.64
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

FirstEnergy (FE) 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 FirstEnergy (FE) at 1.68 and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 3.44 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

FE

Utilities industry group

1.68

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
FE: 1.68
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

FirstEnergy (FE) 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 FirstEnergy (FE) at 2.07 and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 1.98 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

FE

Utilities industry group

2.07

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
FE: 2.07
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

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
Metric	FE	XEL
P/E Ratio (TTM)	22.43	18.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.68	3.44
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.07	1.98
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-9.48%	-16.32%