COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
NJR vs SO
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. NJR scored 63.2, SO scored 55.9 — NJR leads.
Compare another set
Different reporting periods. NJR's fundamentals are as of June 2026, but SO's are as of March 2026 — a 3-month gap. Growth, margin and valuation figures below therefore describe different windows and aren't strictly like-for-like.
NJR
New Jersey Resources Corporation
63.2
$53.52 · $5.4B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
7.3
NJR leads
SO
Southern Company (The)
55.9
$88.94 · $102.3B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- Fastest growthSO+8.3%
- Strongest balance sheetNJR1.47
- Highest qualityNJR77 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valueNJR-26%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
NJR
stronger →← stronger
SO
77
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
57
48
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
72
68
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
42
NJR is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
NJR
SO
$359mC
FCF
-$3.5bF
+7.0%C+
Rev
+8.3%B
1.47B
D/E
1.82C+
14.8xA-
P/E
—
2.13C
PEG
2.35C
—
P/S
3.4xC+
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
SO
26% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
—
~-7%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
—
+46%
1-yr DCF upside
—
+35%
5-yr DCF upside
—
+20%
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
SO
Why this score
- Durable high returns
- Diluting shareholders
The companies
NJRNew Jersey Resources Corporation
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Gas · market cap $5.4b. 12% off the 52-week high of $60.86. 7 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $60.00 (implying +12% 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, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
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.
SOSouthern Company (The)
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Electric · market cap $102.3b. 12% off the 52-week high of $100.84. 19 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $100.45 (implying +13% 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 11% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. $102.3b 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 (-$3.5b) — 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 NJR and SO diverge
On the headline score the gap is 7.3 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.
- ValueNJR 68.0 · SO 42.3NJR +25.7
- GrowthNJR 48.4 · SO 72.3SO +23.9
- QualityNJR 76.6 · SO 57.1NJR +19.5
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.