AEE vs ATO vs SWX Stock Comparison

Ameren, Atmos Energy and Southwest Gas Holdings Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AEE Ameren Corp
$108.74 +9.4% 1M +3.7% 1Y
Market cap
$30.06B
P/E
19.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.75B
Div. yield
0.03%
Regulated Electric Utilities Utilities
2 wins
ATO Atmos Energy Corp
$171.43 +9.0% 1M -2.8% 1Y
Market cap
$28.74B
P/E
20.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.92B
Div. yield
0.02%
Regulated Gas Utilities Utilities
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Atmos Energy leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Atmos Energy 6, Southwest Gas Holdings 4, Ameren 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAEEATOSWXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $30.06B $28.74B $6.74B AEE
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 19.2x 20.5x 12.3x SWX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.6x 20.9x 23.3x AEE
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +3.8% +6.5% -15.3% ATO
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 17.9% 28.5% 31.4% SWX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.6% 5.9% 4.6% ATO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 5.5x 3.7x 3.8x ATO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.03% 0.02% 0.03% SWX
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +3.7% -2.8% +14.6% SWX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +5.1%/yr +13.0%/yr +6.2%/yr ATO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 17.7% 16.1% 18.5% ATO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 53/100 62/100 59/100 ATO

Percentile Scorecard

AEEATOSWX

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

AxisAEEATOSWX
Valuation 38 #42 of 67 18 #55 of 67 46 #37 of 67
Growth 72 #19 of 65 66 #23 of 65 55 #30 of 65
Profitability 81 #13 of 63 87 #9 of 63 63 #24 of 63
Financial Health 24 #48 of 63 94 #5 of 63 90 #7 of 63
Shareholder Returns 52 #33 of 67 46 #37 of 67 44 #38 of 67
Overall 53 62 59
  • AEE ranked among 67 companies in Regulated Utilities
  • ATO ranked among 67 companies in Regulated Utilities
  • SWX ranked among 67 companies in Regulated Utilities

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodAEEATOSWXSPY
1 month +9.4%+9.0%+12.6% -0.2%
3 months -3.3%-4.4%+0.2% +3.9%
6 months -3.1%-8.4%+1.2% +8.2%
Year to date +8.9%+2.3%+16.0% +12.9%
1 year +3.7%-2.8%+14.6% +12.3%
3 years +44.3%+61.5%+63.0% +87.4%
3 years, per year +13.0%+17.3%+17.7% +23.3%
5 years +28.2%+84.6%+35.1% +67.9%
5 years, per year +5.1%+13.0%+6.2% +10.9%
10 years +123.1%+138.6%+30.9% +261.1%
10 years, per year +8.4%+9.1%+2.7% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureAEEATOSWXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 17.7%16.1%18.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 18.6%16.6%18.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.11-0.21-0.11 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.21-0.170.79 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -31.1%-20.0%-42.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -8.1%-10.8%-1.3% -1.2%
52-week high $118.32$192.29$94.05 $779.14
52-week low $97.25$156.25$78.83 $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.

MultipleAEEATOSWX
P/E now vs peer median 19.3xmedian 20.9x 20.6xmedian 20.9x 12.3xmedian 20.9x
P/S now vs peer median 3.4xmedian 2.9x 5.9xmedian 2.9x 3.9xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 13.2xmedian 13.2x 14.9xmedian 13.2x 11.8xmedian 13.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median -21.5xmedian 36.9x -14.3xmedian 36.9x -13.4xmedian 36.9x
P/B now vs peer median 2.2xmedian 1.7x 1.9xmedian 1.7x 1.6xmedian 1.7x
PEG now vs peer median 1.97median 2.31 1.59median 2.31 0.11median 2.31

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 monthsAEEATOSWX
Revenue $8.75B $4.92B $1.74B
Gross profit – $3.95B –
Operating income $2.18B $1.82B $499.35M
Net income $1.57B $1.40B $546.61M
Free cash flow -$1.40B -$2.02B -$500.70M
EPS (diluted) $5.61 $8.28 $7.52
Cash & equivalents $12.00M $525.81M $270.52M
Total debt $83.20B $10.25B $3.51B
Shares (diluted) 278.70M 169.37M 72.67M
Enterprise value $30.01B $27.51B $4.63B

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
MetricAEEATOSWX
P/E 19.3x 20.6x 12.3x
P/FCF -21.5x -14.3x -13.4x
P/Operating cash flow 9.3x 14.3x 14.2x
P/S 3.4x 5.9x 3.9x
P/B 2.2x 1.9x 1.6x
P/Tangible book 2.2x 1.9x 1.6x
EV/EBITDA 13.2x 14.9x 11.8x
EV/EBIT 23.8x 21.3x 20.0x
EV/Revenue 5.9x 7.9x 5.7x
EV/FCF -37.1x -19.2x -19.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 16.0x 19.2x 21.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.97 1.59 0.11

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAEEATOSWX
Revenue growth (1Y) 3.8% 6.5% -15.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 2.3% 3.7% -30.4%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – 10.3% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – 12.6% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 33.9% 19.3% 11.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 11.9% 21.3% 16.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 27.3% 21.1% 220.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 11.8% 18.7% 110.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 24.1% 15.3% 225.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 9.8% 13.0% 112.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 8.1% -0.6% -49.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 9.1% -14.8% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 9.7% -47.1% -395.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -7.3% -84.9% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAEEATOSWX
Gross margin – 80.3% –
EBITDA margin 45.0% 52.8% 48.5%
Operating margin 24.9% 37.0% 28.7%
Pretax margin 19.7% 35.6% 21.2%
Net margin 17.9% 28.5% 31.4%
FCF margin -16.0% -41.1% -28.8%
Operating cash flow margin 37.2% 41.0% 27.2%
Return on equity 11.4% 9.3% 13.2%
Return on assets 3.1% 4.5% 5.2%
Return on invested capital 5.6% 5.9% 4.6%
Return on capital employed 4.8% 6.2% 5.2%
Asset turnover 0.2x 0.2x 0.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.1x 1.4x 0.9x
Stock comp / revenue 0.3% – 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAEEATOSWX
Debt / assets 42.6% 32.5% 33.5%
Debt / equity 1.6x 0.7x 0.9x
Net debt / EBITDA 5.5x 3.7x 3.8x
Debt / FCF -15.6x -5.1x -7.0x
Liabilities / assets 73.0% 51.7% 60.6%
Equity / assets 27.0% 48.3% 39.4%
Interest coverage 2.6x 12.8x –
Current ratio 0.5x 0.8x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.2x 0.5x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.0x 0.3x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 0.89 1.65 1.12

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAEEATOSWX
Dividend yield 2.7% 2.3% 2.7%
Net buyback yield -1.9% -3.7% -0.3%
Shareholder yield 0.8% -1.4% 2.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) 50.9% 45.1% 33.1%
Payout ratio (FCF) -57.0% -31.3% -36.1%
Dividend growth (1Y) 7.5% 17.4% 1.7%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 7.9% 15.0% –

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.

ConsensusAEEATOSWX
Forward P/E 19.6xFY2026 20.9xFY2026 23.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.55FY2026 $8.21FY2026 $3.98FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +10.3%FY2026 +10.1%FY2026 +9.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -2.2% +5.8% +33.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $9.63BFY2026 $5.40BFY2026 $2.01BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +9.5%FY2026 +14.4%FY2026 +3.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -3.4% +7.5% -0.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAEEATOSWX
Held by institutions 88.5% 96.4% 92.9%
Institutions holding 950 1,044 409
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.7% +2.3% +3.4%
Institutions buying 518 546 221
Institutions selling 244 342 116
Buyers to sellers 2.12 1.60 1.91

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.

AEEATOSWX
AEE 1.00 0.75 0.66
ATO 0.75 1.00 0.64
SWX 0.66 0.64 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AEE, ATO and SWX?

Ameren (AEE) is the largest by market capitalisation: Ameren (AEE) $30.06B, Atmos Energy (ATO) $28.74B, Southwest Gas Holdings (SWX) $6.74B.

Which stock is cheaper, AEE, ATO and SWX?

Southwest Gas Holdings (SWX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Ameren (AEE) 19.2x, Atmos Energy (ATO) 20.5x, Southwest Gas Holdings (SWX) 12.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Ameren (AEE) is cheapest (Ameren (AEE) 19.6x, Atmos Energy (ATO) 20.9x, Southwest Gas Holdings (SWX) 23.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Atmos Energy (ATO) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Ameren (AEE) +3.8%, Atmos Energy (ATO) +6.5%, Southwest Gas Holdings (SWX) -15.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Southwest Gas Holdings (SWX) has the highest net margin (Ameren (AEE) 17.9%, Atmos Energy (ATO) 28.5%, Southwest Gas Holdings (SWX) 31.4%). On return on invested capital, Atmos Energy (ATO) leads (Ameren (AEE) 5.6%, Atmos Energy (ATO) 5.9%, Southwest Gas Holdings (SWX) 4.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Southwest Gas Holdings (SWX) returned the most: Ameren (AEE) +3.7%, Atmos Energy (ATO) -2.8%, Southwest Gas Holdings (SWX) +14.6%. Over five years, Atmos Energy (ATO) compounded fastest (Ameren (AEE) +5.1%/yr, Atmos Energy (ATO) +13.0%/yr, Southwest Gas Holdings (SWX) +6.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Southwest Gas Holdings (SWX) has the highest dividend yield: Ameren (AEE) 0.03%, Atmos Energy (ATO) 0.02%, Southwest Gas Holdings (SWX) 0.03%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Atmos Energy (ATO) has been the steadiest (Ameren (AEE) 17.7%, Atmos Energy (ATO) 16.1%, Southwest Gas Holdings (SWX) 18.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AEE, ATO and SWX?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Atmos Energy (ATO) 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.