ATO vs XEL Stock Comparison

Atmos Energy and Xcel Energy Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ATO Atmos Energy Corp
$171.34 +8.9% 1M -2.6% 1Y
Market cap
$28.95B
P/E
20.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.92B
Div. yield
2.33%
Regulated Gas Utilities Utilities
9 wins
XEL Xcel Energy Inc
$77.86 +11.5% 1M -3.1% 1Y
Market cap
$48.62B
P/E
21.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$14.62B
Div. yield
3.01%
Regulated Electric Utilities Utilities
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Atmos Energy leads on 9 of the 12 questions below (Atmos Energy 9, Xcel Energy 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionATOXELLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $28.95B $48.62B XEL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 20.6x 21.8x ATO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 20.9x 18.1x XEL
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.5% +4.7% ATO
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 28.5% 15.3% ATO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.9% 4.5% ATO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.7x 6.4x ATO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 2.33% 3.01% XEL
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -2.6% -3.1% ATO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +13.3%/yr +4.2%/yr ATO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 16.2% 19.2% ATO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 62/100 16/100 ATO

Percentile Scorecard

ATOXEL

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

AxisATOXEL
Valuation 17 #31 of 37 8 #34 of 37
Growth 62 #14 of 35 9 #32 of 35
Profitability 85 #6 of 35 21 #28 of 35
Financial Health 97 #2 of 36 37 #23 of 36
Shareholder Returns 47 #20 of 37 3 #36 of 37
Overall 62 16
  • ATO ranked among 37 companies in Regulated Utilities
  • XEL ranked among 37 companies in Regulated Utilities

Price Performance

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

Returns

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

Risk

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

MultipleATOXEL
P/E now vs peer median 20.6xmedian 21.0x 21.8xmedian 21.0x
P/S now vs peer median 5.9xmedian 3.0x 3.3xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.9xmedian 12.8x 14.7xmedian 12.8x
P/FCF now vs peer median -14.3xmedian 31.2x -6.3xmedian 31.2x
P/B now vs peer median 1.9xmedian 1.9x 2.0xmedian 1.9x
PEG now vs peer median 1.59median 2.27 5.10median 2.27

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 monthsATOXEL
Revenue $4.92B $14.62B
Gross profit $3.95B –
Operating income $1.82B $2.79B
Net income $1.40B $2.23B
Free cash flow -$2.02B -$7.69B
EPS (diluted) $8.28 $3.56
Cash & equivalents $525.81M $2.01B
Total debt $10.25B $39.46B
Shares (diluted) 169.37M 627.00M
Enterprise value $27.73B $43.52B

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
MetricATOXEL
P/E 20.6x 21.8x
P/FCF -14.3x -6.3x
P/Operating cash flow 14.3x 10.2x
P/S 5.9x 3.3x
P/B 1.9x 2.0x
P/Tangible book 1.9x 2.0x
EV/EBITDA 14.9x 14.7x
EV/EBIT 21.3x 30.9x
EV/Revenue 7.9x 5.9x
EV/FCF -19.1x -11.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.2x 18.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.59 5.10

Growth

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

Profitability

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

Financial Health

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

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricATOXEL
Dividend yield 2.3% 3.0%
Net buyback yield -3.7% -4.6%
Shareholder yield -1.4% -1.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) 45.1% –
Payout ratio (FCF) -31.3% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 17.4% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 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.

ConsensusATOXEL
Forward P/E 20.9xFY2026 18.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $8.21FY2026 $4.29FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +10.1%FY2026 +12.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +6.0% +2.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $5.38BFY2026 $16.60BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +14.0%FY2026 +13.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +7.9% +8.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersATOXEL
Held by institutions 96.4% 95.4%
Institutions holding 1,044 1,284
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.3% +7.3%
Institutions buying 546 663
Institutions selling 342 386
Buyers to sellers 1.60 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.

ATOXEL
ATO 1.00 0.67
XEL 0.67 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ATO and XEL?

Xcel Energy (XEL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Atmos Energy (ATO) $28.95B, Xcel Energy (XEL) $48.62B.

Which stock is cheaper, ATO and XEL?

Atmos Energy (ATO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Atmos Energy (ATO) 20.6x, Xcel Energy (XEL) 21.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Xcel Energy (XEL) is cheapest (Atmos Energy (ATO) 20.9x, Xcel Energy (XEL) 18.1x). 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: Atmos Energy (ATO) +6.5%, Xcel Energy (XEL) +4.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

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

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%. Over five years, Atmos Energy (ATO) compounded fastest (Atmos Energy (ATO) +13.3%/yr, Xcel Energy (XEL) +4.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Xcel Energy (XEL) has the highest dividend yield: Atmos Energy (ATO) 2.33%, Xcel Energy (XEL) 3.01%.

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%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Do ATO and XEL move together?

Their daily returns over the past year have a correlation of 0.67, a moderate positive relationship. Holding both diversifies more than two closely linked stocks would.

Which is the better stock, ATO 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, Atmos Energy (ATO) leads on 9. 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.