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VST vs. XEL: Vistra vs. Xcel Energy Stock Comparison

How do Vistra (VST) 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

Vistra (VST) and Xcel Energy (XEL) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but VST is classified in Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers while XEL is classified in Electric Utilities.

Company profile comparison for Vistra (VST) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
Profile ItemVSTXEL
NameVistra Corp.Xcel Energy Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorUtilitiesUtilities
GICS Industry GroupUtilitiesUtilities
GICS IndustryIndependent Power and Renewable Electricity ProducersElectric Utilities
GICS Sub-IndustryIndependent Power Producers & Energy TradersElectric Utilities
Market Capitalization42.31 billion USD51.14 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateOctober 5, 2016February 21, 1973
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

VST
XEL
GSPC
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Vistra (VST) 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 Vistra (VST) and Xcel Energy (XEL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Vistra (VST) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricVSTXEL
Total Return (1Y)-30.09%2.65%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)57.95%14.93%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)49.55%8.26%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Vistra (VST) has an aggressive beta of 1.38, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Xcel Energy (XEL) is defensive at 0.33 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Vistra (VST) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricVSTXEL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)53.39%19.49%
Beta (5Y)1.380.33
Max Drawdown (5Y)-48.80%-34.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)5.98M5.83M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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VST 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 Vistra (VST) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricVSTXEL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.64-0.08
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.86-0.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Xcel Energy (XEL) earns 11.44% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Vistra (VST) has no ROE this period.

VST

Utilities industry group

--

Max
17.99%
Q3
12.01%
Median
9.44%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%
VST
--

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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Vistra (VST) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): VST does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; XEL is benchmarked against the Utilities industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Xcel Energy (XEL) at 17.95% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Vistra (VST) at 13.15%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

VST

Utilities industry group

13.15%

Max
28.78%
Q3
17.30%
VST
13.15%
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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Vistra (VST) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Vistra (VST) at 31.12% and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 28.50% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

VST

Utilities industry group

31.12%

Max
53.83%
Q3
31.12%
VST
31.12%
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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Vistra (VST) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Vistra (VST) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricVSTXEL
ROE (TTM)--11.44%
ROA (TTM)--2.37%
Net Margin (TTM)13.15%17.95%
Operating Margin (TTM)31.12%28.50%
Gross Margin (TTM)41.52%47.27%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Xcel Energy (XEL) at 9.14% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Vistra (VST) at 2.98% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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

EPS Growth

Xcel Energy (XEL) at -0.58% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Vistra (VST) at -69.98% falls below its industry range, a notably weak earnings reading.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Vistra (VST) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricVSTXEL
Revenue Growth (YoY)2.98%9.14%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)8.92%-1.42%
EPS Growth (YoY)-69.98%-0.58%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--2.56%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: Xcel Energy (XEL) shows current ratio of 0.69 against its industry benchmark, while Vistra (VST) has no reading this period.

VST

Utilities industry group

--

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
Median
0.88
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29
VST
--

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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Vistra (VST) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): VST does not report current ratio, so it has no value marker; XEL is benchmarked against the Utilities industry group.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Xcel Energy (XEL) at 1.68 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Vistra (VST) at 3.73 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

VST

Utilities industry group

3.73

VST
3.73
Max
2.63
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
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Vistra (VST) 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 Vistra (VST) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricVSTXEL
Current Ratio (MRQ)--0.69
Debt / Equity (MRQ)3.731.68
Net Debt / EBITDA--6.35

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Xcel Energy (XEL) at 2.92% pays a yield in its industry’s typical range, while Vistra (VST) at 0.20% falls in the bottom quartile of its peers.

VST

Utilities industry group

0.20%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
Median
2.85%
Q1
0.66%
VST
0.20%
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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Vistra (VST) 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% keeps its payout within the industry’s typical band; Vistra (VST) at 15.35% pays out less than peers usually do, retaining more of its earnings — a policy difference more than a quality gap.

VST

Utilities industry group

15.35%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
Median
56.38%
Q1
32.38%
VST
15.35%
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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Vistra (VST) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Vistra (VST) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricVSTXEL
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.20%2.92%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)15.35%54.72%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Vistra (VST) at 16.80 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.

VST

Utilities industry group

16.80

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
Median
19.64
VST
16.80
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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Vistra (VST) 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 Vistra (VST) at 2.05 and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 3.44 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

VST

Utilities industry group

2.05

Max
6.35
Q3
3.63
Median
2.63
VST
2.05
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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Vistra (VST) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Xcel Energy (XEL) at 1.98 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Vistra (VST) at 16.10 prices above its benchmark range — VST looks rich relative to book.

VST

Utilities industry group

16.10

VST
16.10
Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
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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Vistra (VST) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Vistra (VST) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricVSTXEL
P/E Ratio (TTM)16.8018.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.053.44
P/B Ratio (MRQ)16.101.98
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)---16.32%