Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. NJR scored 65.0, SWX scored 55.5 — NJR leads.
Compare another set
NJR
New Jersey Resources Corporation
Utilities - Regulated Gas · Quality-Growth
65
$51.21 · $5.2B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
9.5
NJR leads
SWX
Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc.
Utilities - Regulated Gas · Quality-Growth
55.5
$84.14 · $6.1B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
Fastest growthNJR+7.0%
Strongest balance sheetSWX0.85
Highest qualityNJR76 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueNJR-9%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
NJR
stronger →← stronger
SWX
76
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
55
56
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
42
64
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
74
NJR is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
NJR
SWX
$359mC
FCF
-$528mF
+7.0%C+
Rev
-21.6%F
1.47B
D/E
0.85A-
14.2xA-
P/E
—
2.14C
PEG
1.86C+
—
P/S
3.5xC
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.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
NJR
SWX
9% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
—
~3%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
—
+6%
1-yr DCF upside
—
+10%
5-yr DCF upside
—
+17%
10-yr DCF upside
—
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
NJR
Why this score
Raising its dividend
SWX
No notable signals flagged.
The companies
NJRNew Jersey Resources Corporation
Utilities - Regulated Gas · $51.21 · beta 0.50
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Gas · market cap $5.2b. 16% off the 52-week high of $60.86. 7 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $59.86 (implying +17% upside).
Moat
Net margin 24% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close. ROE 14% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. FCF converts 98% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Commodity exposure — earnings power tracks the price of the underlying commodity, not management execution. A 15-20% move in the commodity reprices the equity well before fundamentals catch up.
SWXSouthwest Gas Holdings, Inc.
Utilities - Regulated Gas · $84.14 · beta 0.56
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Gas · market cap $6.1b. 11% off the 52-week high of $94.47. Revenue -22% — in contraction; any catalyst that reverses this triggers re-rating. 8 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $100.50 (implying +19% upside).
Moat
Net margin 31% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. ROE 13% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$528m) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk. Revenue contracting -22% — the operational turn is not yet visible in the top line. Commodity exposure — earnings power tracks the price of the underlying commodity, not management execution. A 15-20% move in the commodity reprices the equity well before fundamentals catch up.
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 NJR and SWX diverge
On the headline score the gap is 9.5 points in favor of NJR. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
QualityNJR 76.4 · SWX 55.3NJR +21.1
GrowthNJR 56.1 · SWX 41.7NJR +14.4
ValueNJR 64.2 · SWX 74.3SWX +10.1
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 NJR or SWX the better stock?
NJR scores higher: NJR 65.0, SWX 55.5 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 NJR and SWX differ most?
The widest gap is quality, where NJR leads by 21 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are NJR and SWX 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.