# Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. NASDAQ, United States. Sector: Utilities / Electric Utilities. Price $75.72, market value $47.3 billion.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 20.7×** (5-yr avg 19.4×, 3-yr avg 19.2×). Xcel Energy Inc. trades at 20.7× trailing earnings, close to its own five-year average of 19.4×. The Utilities median in the September 2026 study was 21.2×. Forward P/E is 16.7×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **Price / sales: 4.1×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 4.1×.
- **Price / book: 2.0×**. The shares trade at 2.0× book value; book value is a meaningful part of the valuation.
- **EV / EBITDA: 22.3×**. Enterprise value is 22.3× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed; above 20× is demanding.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: -16.3%** (5-yr avg -6.7%). Free cash flow is negative: the business is consuming cash, which is normal for heavy investment phases but a warning otherwise.
- **Earnings yield: 4.8%**. The inverse of the P/E: 4.8% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Operating margin: 17.0%**. 17.0% of revenue is left after running the business, a healthy level in most sectors.
- **Return on equity: 8.5%**. 8.5% on shareholders' equity is weak; the business earns little on the capital its owners have in it.
- **Return on invested capital: 3.0%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 3.0%: close to or below the cost of capital, so growth may not create value.
- **Return on assets: 1.5%**. Each dollar of assets produces 1.5% of profit.

## Growth
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -0.6%** (3-yr 2.6%/yr, 5-yr 4.2%/yr). Earnings per share fell 0.6%.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 1.44**. Debt is 1.44 times equity, a leveraged balance sheet, which is normal for utilities.
- **Net debt / EBITDA: 9.3×**. It would take 9.3 years of operating earnings to repay net borrowings, above the 3× level most lenders treat as comfortable.
- **Interest coverage: 2.8×**. Operating profit covers interest 2.8×, thin but manageable.
- **Piotroski F-score: 3/9**. 3 of 9 checks pass: weak or deteriorating financials.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 3.13%** ($2.33 per share, trailing). Xcel Energy Inc. yields 3.13%, a modest yield more typical of a growth-oriented payer.
- **Payout ratio: 64%**. 64% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving room to keep raising it.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 1**. 1 straight year of increases.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): 10.5%/yr** (1-yr 72.0%). The dividend has compounded at 10.5% a year over five years, doubling roughly every 7 years at that pace.

## Analyst view
- **Analyst consensus: strong_buy** (17 analysts). 17 analysts cover Xcel Energy Inc.; the consensus is strong_buy, with an average price target of $91.76 (+21% from the current price). Analyst opinion is shown for context; it is not part of the Fundamental Score.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 8.0%** (YTD 4.1%, 3-mo -3.5%). The shares are up 8.0% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -10.1%** (6.2% above the low). Trading 10% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: below**. The price sits below its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of a downtrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 39**. An RSI of 39 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.01** (volatility 20%). Beta of 0.01 against the S&P 500: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=XEL · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/xel

Not investment advice.