COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
AEP vs ATO
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. AEP scored 63.3, ATO scored 54.2 — AEP leads.
Compare another set
AEP
American Electric Power Company, Inc.
63.3
$120.94 · $65.8B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
9.1
AEP leads
ATO
Atmos Energy Corporation
54.2
$166.85 · $28.2B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestAEP2.9x
- Fastest growthAEP+10.9%
- Strongest balance sheetATO0.68
- Highest qualityATO54 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/S multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
AEP
stronger →← stronger
ATO
48
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
54
84
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
60
64
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
49
AEP is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
AEP
ATO
-$2.4bF
FCF
-$2.0bF
+10.9%B
Rev
+6.5%C+
1.61C+
D/E
0.68A
2.9xB
P/S
5.7xD
2.15C
PEG
2.07C
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Model signals
AEP
Why this score
- Short track record
ATO
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
- Diluting shareholders
The companies
AEPAmerican Electric Power Company, Inc.
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Electric · market cap $65.8b. 14% off the 52-week high of $140.58. Revenue growing +11%, comfortably above the S&P median. 20 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $144.20 (implying +19% upside).
Moat
Net margin 14% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 10% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. $65.8b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$2.4b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk.
ATOAtmos Energy Corporation
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Gas · market cap $28.2b. 13% off the 52-week high of $192.51. 11 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $188.73 (implying +13% upside).
Moat
Net margin 28% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$2.0b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk. Hedge-book exposure — many commodity producers hedge forward production; if the hedge book is concentrated at prices well below spot, the upside the market expects is already locked away.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where AEP and ATO diverge
On the headline score the gap is 9.1 points in favor of AEP. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- GrowthAEP 83.9 · ATO 60.0AEP +23.9
- ValueAEP 63.7 · ATO 49.1AEP +14.6
- QualityAEP 47.6 · ATO 53.8ATO +6.2
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.