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WEC vs. XEL: WEC Energy vs. Xcel Energy Stock Comparison

How do WEC Energy (WEC) 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

WEC Energy (WEC) and Xcel Energy (XEL) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but WEC is classified in Multi-Utilities while XEL is classified in Electric Utilities.

Company profile comparison for WEC Energy (WEC) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
Profile ItemWECXEL
NameWEC Energy Group Inc.Xcel Energy Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorUtilitiesUtilities
GICS Industry GroupUtilitiesUtilities
GICS IndustryMulti-UtilitiesElectric Utilities
GICS Sub-IndustryMulti-UtilitiesElectric Utilities
Market Capitalization38.12 billion USD51.14 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980February 21, 1973
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

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

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for WEC Energy (WEC) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricWECXEL
Total Return (1Y)7.80%2.65%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)18.04%14.93%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)9.22%8.26%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for WEC Energy (WEC) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricWECXEL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)17.21%19.49%
Beta (5Y)0.430.33
Max Drawdown (5Y)-26.02%-34.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.71M5.83M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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WEC 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 WEC Energy (WEC) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricWECXEL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.20-0.08
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.31-0.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

WEC Energy (WEC) at 12.49% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Xcel Energy (XEL) at 11.44% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for WEC.

WEC

Utilities industry group

12.49%

Max
17.99%
WEC
12.49%
Q3
12.01%
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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WEC Energy (WEC) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both WEC Energy (WEC) at 17.53% and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 17.95% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

WEC

Utilities industry group

17.53%

Max
28.78%
WEC
17.53%
Q3
17.30%
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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WEC Energy (WEC) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both WEC Energy (WEC) at 25.44% and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 28.50% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

WEC

Utilities industry group

25.44%

Max
53.83%
Q3
31.12%
WEC
25.44%
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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WEC Energy (WEC) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for WEC Energy (WEC) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricWECXEL
ROE (TTM)12.49%11.44%
ROA (TTM)3.08%2.37%
Net Margin (TTM)17.53%17.95%
Operating Margin (TTM)25.44%28.50%
Gross Margin (TTM)42.36%47.27%

Growth

Revenue Growth

WEC Energy (WEC) at 13.96% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Xcel Energy (XEL) at 9.14% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for WEC.

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

EPS Growth

Both WEC Energy (WEC) at -0.41% 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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WEC Energy (WEC) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for WEC Energy (WEC) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricWECXEL
Revenue Growth (YoY)13.96%9.14%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)0.70%-1.42%
EPS Growth (YoY)-0.41%-0.58%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)2.63%2.56%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Xcel Energy (XEL) at 0.69 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while WEC Energy (WEC) at 0.53 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for WEC.

WEC

Utilities industry group

0.53

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
Median
0.88
Q1
0.66
WEC
0.53
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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WEC Energy (WEC) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both WEC Energy (WEC) at 1.54 and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 1.68 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

WEC

Utilities industry group

1.54

Max
2.63
Q3
1.77
WEC
1.54
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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WEC Energy (WEC) 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 WEC Energy (WEC) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricWECXEL
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.530.69
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.541.68
Net Debt / EBITDA5.666.35

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both WEC Energy (WEC) at 3.17% and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 2.92% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

WEC

Utilities industry group

3.17%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
WEC
3.17%
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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WEC Energy (WEC) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both WEC Energy (WEC) at 68.18% 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.

WEC

Utilities industry group

68.18%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
WEC
68.18%
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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WEC Energy (WEC) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for WEC Energy (WEC) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricWECXEL
Dividend Yield (TTM)3.17%2.92%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)68.18%54.72%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both WEC Energy (WEC) at 21.07 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.

WEC

Utilities industry group

21.07

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
WEC
21.07
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
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WEC Energy (WEC) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Xcel Energy (XEL) at 3.44 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while WEC Energy (WEC) at 3.69 sits in the pricier quartile — WEC costs more per dollar of sales.

WEC

Utilities industry group

3.69

Max
6.35
WEC
3.69
Q3
3.63
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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WEC Energy (WEC) 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 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while WEC Energy (WEC) at 2.62 carries an above-peer premium to book — WEC is pricier on assets.

WEC

Utilities industry group

2.62

Max
3.12
WEC
2.62
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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WEC Energy (WEC) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for WEC Energy (WEC) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricWECXEL
P/E Ratio (TTM)21.0718.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.693.44
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.621.98
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-5.16%-16.32%