DUK vs HRNNF vs XEL Stock Comparison

Duke Energy, Hydro One and Xcel Energy Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
DUK Duke Energy CORP
$123.62 +9.1% 1M -1.6% 1Y
Market cap
$98.00B
P/E
18.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$33.25B
Div. yield
–
Regulated Electric Utilities Utilities
6 wins
HRNNF Hydro One Ltd
$38.49 +7.4% 1M +3.0% 1Y
Market cap
$23.30B
P/E
22.8x
Revenue (TTM)
—
Div. yield
–
Regulated Electric Utilities Utilities
3 wins
XEL Xcel Energy Inc
$77.18 +11.2% 1M -3.3% 1Y
Market cap
$49.62B
P/E
22.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$14.62B
Div. yield
–
Regulated Electric Utilities Utilities
1 win

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

Duke Energy leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Duke Energy 6, Hydro One 3, Xcel Energy 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionDUKHRNNFXELLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $98.00B $23.30B $49.62B DUK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 18.9x 22.8x 22.2x DUK
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.8x 22.8x 17.9x XEL
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.3% — +4.7% DUK
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months — — 15.3% –
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 6.4% 4.5% HRNNF
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 5.7x 6.4x HRNNF
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -1.6% +3.0% -3.3% HRNNF
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +3.9%/yr — +3.6%/yr DUK
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 16.6% 17.6% 19.2% DUK
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 73/100 66/100 16/100 DUK

Percentile Scorecard

DUKHRNNFXEL

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisDUKHRNNFXEL
Valuation 83 #12 of 67 32 #46 of 67 5 #64 of 67
Growth 81 #13 of 65 72 #19 of 65 16 #55 of 65
Profitability 56 #28 of 62 93 #5 of 62 30 #44 of 62
Financial Health – 51 #31 of 62 30 #44 of 62
Shareholder Returns 71 #20 of 67 83 #12 of 67 0 #67 of 67
Overall 73 66 16
  • DUK ranked among 67 companies in Regulated Utilities
  • HRNNF ranked among 67 companies in Regulated Utilities
  • XEL ranked among 67 companies in Regulated Utilities

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodDUKHRNNFXELSPY
1 month +9.1%+7.4%+11.2% +0.9%
3 months -4.3%-9.1%-2.0% +5.9%
6 months -2.3%-8.7%-2.1% +8.5%
Year to date +5.5%-2.9%+4.5% +13.3%
1 year -1.6%+3.0%-3.3% +12.4%
3 years +41.2%—+32.4% +88.1%
3 years, per year +12.2%—+9.8% +23.5%
5 years +21.2%—+19.5% +68.2%
5 years, per year +3.9%—+3.6% +11.0%
10 years +57.0%—+89.7% +263.4%
10 years, per year +4.6%—+6.6% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureDUKHRNNFXELSPY
Volatility, 1Y 16.6%17.6%19.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 16.8%18.4%19.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.32-0.24-0.02 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.100.17-0.17 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -26.0%-18.9%-37.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -7.4%-12.2%-8.0% -0.9%
52-week high $133.46$43.85$83.91 $779.14
52-week low $113.24$35.56$69.39 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleDUKHRNNFXEL
P/E now vs peer median 18.5xmedian 20.8x 22.6xmedian 20.8x 21.6xmedian 20.8x
P/S now vs peer median 2.9xmedian 2.9x —median 2.9x 3.3xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median —median 13.1x 15.2xmedian 13.1x 14.7xmedian 13.1x
P/FCF now vs peer median —median 35.3x 12.0xmedian 35.3x -6.3xmedian 35.3x
P/B now vs peer median 1.7xmedian 1.7x 2.5xmedian 1.7x 2.0xmedian 1.7x
PEG now vs peer median 0.31median 2.18 2.14median 2.18 5.06median 2.18

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsDUKHRNNFXEL
Revenue $33.25B – $14.62B
Operating income $9.23B – $2.79B
Net income $5.38B $1.03B $2.23B
Free cash flow – $1.92B -$7.69B
EPS (diluted) $6.66 $1.70 $3.56
Cash & equivalents $673.00M $452.53M $2.01B
Total debt – $54.53B $39.46B
Shares (diluted) 779.00M 600.71M 627.00M
Enterprise value $98.00B $22.12B $44.52B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricDUKHRNNFXEL
P/E 18.5x 22.6x 21.6x
P/FCF – 12.0x -6.3x
P/Operating cash flow 8.3x 12.0x 10.1x
P/S 2.9x – 3.3x
P/B 1.7x 2.5x 2.0x
P/Tangible book 1.7x 2.6x 2.0x
EV/EBITDA – 15.2x 14.7x
EV/EBIT – 21.7x 30.7x
EV/Revenue 2.9x – 5.9x
EV/FCF – 19.1x -11.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 8.3x 19.1x 17.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.31 2.14 5.06

Growth

14 metrics
MetricDUKHRNNFXEL
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.3% – 4.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.6% – -1.4%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – –
Operating income growth (1Y) 9.5% – 11.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 13.2% – 4.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 8.7% 14.0% 7.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 59.0% 9.9% 8.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 8.9% 13.5% 1.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 59.6% 10.6% 4.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -3.2% 9.8% 5.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 26.8% 5.4% 2.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) – 9.7% -97.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 5.7% -112.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricDUKHRNNFXEL
Gross margin – – –
EBITDA margin – – 39.9%
Operating margin – – 19.1%
Pretax margin – – 13.7%
Net margin – – 15.3%
FCF margin – – -52.6%
Operating cash flow margin 34.8% – 32.6%
Return on equity 9.5% 11.2% 9.3%
Return on assets 2.7% 3.6% 2.6%
Return on invested capital – 6.4% 4.5%
Return on capital employed – – 3.6%
Asset turnover 0.2x – 0.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.1x 1.9x 2.1x
Stock comp / revenue – – 0.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricDUKHRNNFXEL
Debt / assets – 48.8% 45.3%
Debt / equity – 1.5x 1.6x
Net debt / EBITDA – 5.7x 6.4x
Debt / FCF – 7.3x -5.1x
Liabilities / assets – 68.1% 72.4%
Equity / assets 28.3% 31.9% 27.6%
Interest coverage – 3.3x 1.7x
Current ratio 0.7x – 0.7x
Quick ratio – – 0.4x
Cash ratio – – 0.2x
Altman Z-score – – 0.85

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricDUKHRNNFXEL
Dividend yield 3.5% 3.5% 3.0%
Net buyback yield – – -4.6%
Shareholder yield 3.5% 3.5% -1.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusDUKHRNNFXEL
Forward P/E 18.8xFY2026 22.8xFY2026 17.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $6.56FY2026 $1.69FY2026 $4.30FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +4.0%FY2026 +4.3%FY2026 +13.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +15.4% +3.0% +2.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $32.42BFY2026 $7.16BFY2026 $16.60BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +0.6%FY2026 +8.8%FY2026 +13.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +4.1% +2.5% +8.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersDUKHRNNFXEL
Held by institutions 69.7% – 95.4%
Institutions holding 2,459 – 1,285
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.5% – +7.3%
Institutions buying 1,298 – 664
Institutions selling 801 – 386
Buyers to sellers 1.62 – 1.72

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

DUKHRNNFXEL
DUK 1.00 0.48 0.80
HRNNF 0.48 1.00 0.43
XEL 0.80 0.43 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, DUK, HRNNF and XEL?

Duke Energy (DUK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Duke Energy (DUK) $98.00B, Hydro One (HRNNF) $23.30B, Xcel Energy (XEL) $49.62B.

Which stock is cheaper, DUK, HRNNF and XEL?

Duke Energy (DUK) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Duke Energy (DUK) 18.9x, Hydro One (HRNNF) 22.8x, Xcel Energy (XEL) 22.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Xcel Energy (XEL) is cheapest (Duke Energy (DUK) 18.8x, Hydro One (HRNNF) 22.8x, Xcel Energy (XEL) 17.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Duke Energy (DUK) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Duke Energy (DUK) +6.3%, Xcel Energy (XEL) +4.7%.

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Hydro One (HRNNF) returned the most: Duke Energy (DUK) -1.6%, Hydro One (HRNNF) +3.0%, Xcel Energy (XEL) -3.3%. Over five years, Duke Energy (DUK) compounded fastest (Duke Energy (DUK) +3.9%/yr, Xcel Energy (XEL) +3.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Duke Energy (DUK) has been the steadiest (Duke Energy (DUK) 16.6%, Hydro One (HRNNF) 17.6%, Xcel Energy (XEL) 19.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, DUK, HRNNF and XEL?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Duke Energy (DUK) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.