Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. ATO scored 47.2, WTRG scored 63.8 — WTRG leads.
Compare another set
ATO
Atmos Energy Corporation
Utilities - Regulated Gas · Quality-Growth
47.2
$161.66 · $27.3B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
16.6
WTRG leads
WTRG
Essential Utilities, Inc.
Utilities - Regulated Water · Quality-Growth
63.8
$38.98 · $11.1B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestWTRG4.3x
Fastest growthWTRG+9.9%
Strongest balance sheetATO0.68
Highest qualityWTRG57 / 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)
ATO
stronger →← stronger
WTRG
52
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
57
63
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
66
32
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
68
WTRG is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
ATO
WTRG
-$2.0bF
FCF
-$1.0bF
+6.5%C+
Rev
+9.9%B
0.68A
D/E
1.22B+
5.6xD
P/S
4.3xC
1.94C+
PEG
3.45D
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
ATO
Why this score
Raising its dividend
Diluting shareholders
WTRG
Why this score
Raising its dividend
The companies
ATOAtmos Energy Corporation
Utilities - Regulated Gas · $161.66 · beta 0.57
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Gas · market cap $27.3b. 16% off the 52-week high of $192.51. 11 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $185.00 (implying +14% 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.
WTRGEssential Utilities, Inc.
Utilities - Regulated Water · $38.98 · beta 0.62
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Water · market cap $11.1b. 8% off the 52-week high of $42.51. 5 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $42.20 (implying +8% upside).
Moat
Net margin 41% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. ROE 15% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$1.0b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk.
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 ATO and WTRG diverge
On the headline score the gap is 16.6 points in favor of WTRG. The widest single difference is Value, where WTRG leads by 36.1 points.
ValueATO 32.1 · WTRG 68.2WTRG +36.1
QualityATO 52.2 · WTRG 57.3WTRG +5.1
GrowthATO 62.6 · WTRG 66.5WTRG +3.9
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value 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.
Common questions
Is WTRG or ATO the better stock?
WTRG scores higher: WTRG 63.8, ATO 47.2 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do WTRG and ATO differ most?
The widest gap is value, where WTRG leads by 36 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. WTRG leads all three pillars, so the gap is broad rather than a single-measure difference.
How are WTRG and ATO scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.