NEE vs ATO Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Compare NextEra Energy and Atmos Energy by renewable energy vs natural gas distribution exposure, regulatory framework, earnings growth visibility, dividend yield, and which utility offers better defensive income and growth.
Use this NextEra Energy vs Atmos Energy comparison to evaluate the key differences across valuation, growth, profitability, and risk before making an investment decision.
NEE holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. NEE has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+24.75% vs +13.64%), though ATO has the better forward P/E setup (19.70x vs 20.17x for NEE). On fundamentals, NEE is growing revenue faster (7.30%), while ATO maintains the higher operating margin (39.32%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for NEE (+11.71%) than for ATO (+6.04%).
| Metric | NEE | ATO |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 50.5 | 49.7 |
| AI rank | #476 | #523 |
| Latest close | $89.78 | $179.22 |
| 1M return | +2.47% | +3.84% |
| 6M return | +5.86% | +8.39% |
| 1Y return | +24.75% | +13.64% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | NEE | ATO |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $12.5K (+25.0%) started 2025-07-25 | $11.43K (+14.3%) started 2025-07-25 |
| 5Y ago | $14.17K (+41.7%) started 2021-07-26 | $21.93K (+119.3%) started 2021-07-26 |
| 10Y ago | $44.01K (+340.1%) started 2016-07-25 | $34.79K (+247.9%) started 2016-07-25 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | NEE | ATO |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $185.2B | $29.66B |
| Trailing P/E | 22.54 | 21.88 |
| Forward P/E | 20.17 | 19.70 |
| Price/Sales | 5.88 | N/A |
| EV/Revenue | 10.73 | 8.02 |
| Analyst target | $99.20 | $188.42 |
| Target upside | +11.71% | +6.04% |
| Metric | NEE | ATO |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 7.30% | 0.60% |
| Earnings growth | 160.00% | 14.50% |
| EPS growth | +160.00% | +14.50% |
| FCF margin | -66.22% | -45.28% |
| Operating margin | 30.18% | 39.32% |
| Profit margin | 29.37% | 27.58% |
| ROIC proxy | 10.32% | 9.60% |
| Return on equity | 10.32% | 9.60% |
| Dividend yield | 2.81% | 2.25% |
| Beta | 0.67 | 0.60 |
| Debt/equity | 156.69 | 64.59 |
| Current ratio | 0.54 | 1.00 |
| Quick ratio | 0.34 | 0.61 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | NEE | ATO |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +24.95% | +14.27% |
| CAGR | +25.04% | +14.32% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.93 | 0.64 | |
| Max drawdown | 14.53% | 13.07% | |
| Max daily drop | 4.63% | 2.64% | |
| Max wkly drop | 6.94% | 6.00% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +28.35% | +98.30% |
| CAGR | +5.12% | +14.69% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.15 | 0.59 | |
| Max drawdown | 44.97% | 19.08% | |
| Max daily drop | 8.97% | 4.82% | |
| Max wkly drop | 22.71% | 10.13% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +245.09% | +176.23% |
| CAGR | +13.19% | +10.70% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.44 | 0.37 | |
| Max drawdown | 44.97% | 32.91% | |
| Max daily drop | 13.42% | 12.50% | |
| Max wkly drop | 24.36% | 18.04% |
| Category | NEE | ATO |
|---|---|---|
| Company | NEE | ATO |
| Sector | Utilities | Utilities |
| Industry | Utilities - Regulated Electric | N/A |
| Core business | N/A | N/A |
| Investor focus | N/A | N/A |
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