ATO vs XEL vs EXC Stock Comparison

Atmos Energy, Xcel Energy and Exelon Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ATO Atmos Energy Corp
$171.34 +8.9% 1M -2.6% 1Y
Market cap
$28.71B
P/E
20.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.92B
Div. yield
0.02%
Regulated Gas Utilities Utilities
6 wins
XEL Xcel Energy Inc
$77.86 +11.5% 1M -3.1% 1Y
Market cap
$48.38B
P/E
21.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$14.62B
Div. yield
–
Regulated Electric Utilities Utilities
1 win
EXC Exelon Corp
$44.54 +10.4% 1M -7.3% 1Y
Market cap
$45.52B
P/E
16.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$25.33B
Div. yield
0.04%
Regulated Electric Utilities Utilities
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Atmos Energy leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Atmos Energy 6, Exelon 5, Xcel Energy 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionATOXELEXCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $28.71B $48.38B $45.52B XEL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 20.5x 21.7x 16.3x EXC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 20.9x 18.1x 14.8x EXC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.5% +4.7% +6.6% EXC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 28.5% 15.3% 11.0% ATO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.9% 4.5% 5.4% ATO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.7x 6.4x 5.6x ATO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.00% 0.04% EXC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -2.6% -3.1% -7.3% ATO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +13.3%/yr +4.2%/yr +3.7%/yr ATO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 16.2% 19.2% 20.1% ATO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 62/100 16/100 63/100 EXC

Percentile Scorecard

ATOXELEXC

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

AxisATOXELEXC
Valuation 17 #56 of 67 5 #64 of 67 82 #13 of 67
Growth 66 #23 of 65 16 #55 of 65 80 #14 of 65
Profitability 87 #9 of 64 29 #46 of 64 43 #37 of 64
Financial Health 94 #5 of 64 32 #44 of 64 43 #37 of 64
Shareholder Returns 46 #37 of 67 0 #67 of 67 68 #22 of 67
Overall 62 16 63
  • ATO ranked among 67 companies in Regulated Utilities
  • XEL ranked among 67 companies in Regulated Utilities
  • EXC ranked among 67 companies in Regulated Utilities

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodATOXELEXCSPY
1 month +8.9%+11.5%+10.4% -0.8%
3 months -3.8%-3.5%-5.5% +3.5%
6 months -7.7%-2.0%-4.4% +7.0%
Year to date +2.2%+5.4%+2.2% +12.2%
1 year -2.6%-3.1%-7.3% +13.0%
3 years +61.5%+33.5%+15.9% +86.3%
3 years, per year +17.3%+10.1%+5.0% +23.1%
5 years +86.7%+22.8%+20.1% +68.6%
5 years, per year +13.3%+4.2%+3.7% +11.0%
10 years +136.7%+91.8%+87.8% +258.0%
10 years, per year +9.0%+6.7%+6.5% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureATOXELEXCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 16.2%19.2%20.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 16.6%19.4%20.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.21-0.02-0.27 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.16-0.16-0.36 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -20.0%-37.4%-33.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -10.9%-7.2%-11.4% -1.8%
52-week high $192.29$83.91$50.29 $779.14
52-week low $156.25$69.39$40.20 $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.

MultipleATOXELEXC
P/E now vs peer median 20.6xmedian 20.8x 21.8xmedian 20.8x 16.4xmedian 20.8x
P/S now vs peer median 5.9xmedian 2.9x 3.3xmedian 2.9x 1.8xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.9xmedian 13.1x 14.7xmedian 13.1x 10.7xmedian 13.1x
P/FCF now vs peer median -14.3xmedian 36.7x -6.3xmedian 36.7x -24.0xmedian 36.7x
P/B now vs peer median 1.9xmedian 1.7x 2.0xmedian 1.7x 1.5xmedian 1.7x
PEG now vs peer median 1.59median 2.23 5.10median 2.23 1.96median 2.23

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 monthsATOXELEXC
Revenue $4.92B $14.62B $25.33B
Gross profit $3.95B – –
Operating income $1.82B $2.79B $5.27B
Net income $1.40B $2.23B $2.78B
Free cash flow -$2.02B -$7.69B -$1.92B
EPS (diluted) $8.28 $3.56 $2.71
Cash & equivalents $525.81M $2.01B $1.81B
Total debt $10.25B $39.46B $201.12B
Shares (diluted) 169.37M 627.00M 1.03B
Enterprise value $27.49B $43.29B $40.83B

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
MetricATOXELEXC
P/E 20.6x 21.8x 16.4x
P/FCF -14.3x -6.3x -24.0x
P/Operating cash flow 14.3x 10.2x 6.4x
P/S 5.9x 3.3x 1.8x
P/B 1.9x 2.0x 1.5x
P/Tangible book 1.9x 2.0x 1.5x
EV/EBITDA 14.9x 14.7x 10.7x
EV/EBIT 21.3x 30.9x 18.3x
EV/Revenue 7.9x 5.9x 3.8x
EV/FCF -19.1x -11.2x -50.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.2x 18.0x 13.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.59 5.10 1.96

Growth

14 metrics
MetricATOXELEXC
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.5% 4.7% 6.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.7% -1.4% 8.4%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 10.3% – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 12.6% – –
Operating income growth (1Y) 19.3% 11.0% 10.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 21.3% 4.6% 14.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 21.1% 7.7% 4.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 18.7% 8.8% 9.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 15.3% 1.0% 3.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 4.3% 8.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -0.6% 5.8% 23.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -14.8% 2.7% 28.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -47.1% -97.2% -8.6%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -84.9% -112.8% 21.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricATOXELEXC
Gross margin 80.3% – –
EBITDA margin 52.8% 39.9% 35.6%
Operating margin 37.0% 19.1% 20.8%
Pretax margin 35.6% 13.7% 13.3%
Net margin 28.5% 15.3% 11.0%
FCF margin -41.1% -52.6% -7.6%
Operating cash flow margin 41.0% 32.6% 28.5%
Return on equity 9.3% 9.3% 9.4%
Return on assets 4.5% 2.6% 2.3%
Return on invested capital 5.9% 4.5% 5.4%
Return on capital employed 6.2% 3.6% 4.8%
Asset turnover 0.2x 0.2x 0.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 2.1x 2.6x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.3% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricATOXELEXC
Debt / assets 32.5% 45.3% 43.4%
Debt / equity 0.7x 1.6x 1.8x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.7x 6.4x 5.6x
Debt / FCF -5.1x -5.1x -27.3x
Liabilities / assets 51.7% 72.4% 75.4%
Equity / assets 48.3% 27.6% 24.6%
Interest coverage 12.8x 1.7x –
Current ratio 0.8x 0.7x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.5x 0.4x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.2x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 1.64 0.85 0.76

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricATOXELEXC
Dividend yield 2.3% 3.0% 3.7%
Net buyback yield -3.7% -4.6% –
Shareholder yield -1.4% -1.6% 3.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) 45.1% – 59.9%
Payout ratio (FCF) -31.3% – -87.1%
Dividend growth (1Y) 17.4% – 6.2%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 15.0% – 6.3%

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.

ConsensusATOXELEXC
Forward P/E 20.9xFY2026 18.1xFY2026 14.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $8.21FY2026 $4.29FY2026 $3.01FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +10.1%FY2026 +12.9%FY2026 +8.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +6.0% +2.3% +7.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $5.38BFY2026 $16.60BFY2026 $26.88BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +14.0%FY2026 +13.1%FY2026 +10.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +7.9% +8.5% -8.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersATOXELEXC
Held by institutions 96.4% 95.4% 92.0%
Institutions holding 1,044 1,284 1,282
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.3% +7.3% +5.8%
Institutions buying 546 663 699
Institutions selling 342 386 372
Buyers to sellers 1.60 1.72 1.88

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.

ATOXELEXC
ATO 1.00 0.67 0.62
XEL 0.67 1.00 0.64
EXC 0.62 0.64 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ATO, XEL and EXC?

Xcel Energy (XEL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Atmos Energy (ATO) $28.71B, Xcel Energy (XEL) $48.38B, Exelon (EXC) $45.52B.

Which stock is cheaper, ATO, XEL and EXC?

Exelon (EXC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Atmos Energy (ATO) 20.5x, Xcel Energy (XEL) 21.7x, Exelon (EXC) 16.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Exelon (EXC) is cheapest (Atmos Energy (ATO) 20.9x, Xcel Energy (XEL) 18.1x, Exelon (EXC) 14.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Exelon (EXC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Atmos Energy (ATO) +6.5%, Xcel Energy (XEL) +4.7%, Exelon (EXC) +6.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Atmos Energy (ATO) has the highest net margin (Atmos Energy (ATO) 28.5%, Xcel Energy (XEL) 15.3%, Exelon (EXC) 11.0%). On return on invested capital, Atmos Energy (ATO) leads (Atmos Energy (ATO) 5.9%, Xcel Energy (XEL) 4.5%, Exelon (EXC) 5.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Atmos Energy (ATO) returned the most: Atmos Energy (ATO) -2.6%, Xcel Energy (XEL) -3.1%, Exelon (EXC) -7.3%. Over five years, Atmos Energy (ATO) compounded fastest (Atmos Energy (ATO) +13.3%/yr, Xcel Energy (XEL) +4.2%/yr, Exelon (EXC) +3.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Exelon (EXC) has the highest dividend yield: Atmos Energy (ATO) 0.02%, Xcel Energy (XEL) 0.00%, Exelon (EXC) 0.04%. Xcel Energy (XEL) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Atmos Energy (ATO) has been the steadiest (Atmos Energy (ATO) 16.2%, Xcel Energy (XEL) 19.2%, Exelon (EXC) 20.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ATO, XEL and EXC?

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.