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ATO vs. PPL: Atmos Energy vs. PPL Stock Comparison

How do Atmos Energy (ATO) and PPL (PPL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Atmos Energy (ATO) and PPL (PPL) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but ATO is classified in Gas Utilities while PPL is classified in Electric Utilities.

Company profile comparison for Atmos Energy (ATO) and PPL (PPL)
Profile ItemATOPPL
NameAtmos Energy CorporationPPL Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorUtilitiesUtilities
GICS Industry GroupUtilitiesUtilities
GICS IndustryGas UtilitiesElectric Utilities
GICS Sub-IndustryGas UtilitiesElectric Utilities
Market Capitalization29.27 billion USD26.94 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateDecember 28, 1983March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ATO
PPL
GSPC
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. PPL (PPL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Atmos Energy (ATO) and PPL (PPL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Atmos Energy (ATO) and PPL (PPL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Atmos Energy (ATO) and PPL (PPL)
MetricATOPPL
Total Return (1Y)0.43%1.73%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)18.83%16.47%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)16.10%8.32%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ATO
PPL
GSPC
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. PPL (PPL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Atmos Energy (ATO) and PPL (PPL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Atmos Energy (ATO) and PPL (PPL)
MetricATOPPL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)16.06%18.30%
Beta (5Y)0.550.54
Max Drawdown (5Y)-19.08%-24.73%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.03M7.63M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ATO and PPL are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Atmos Energy (ATO) and PPL (PPL)
MetricATOPPL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.24-0.14
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.34-0.19

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Atmos Energy (ATO) at 9.79% and PPL (PPL) at 8.63% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

ATO

Utilities industry group

9.79%

Max
17.99%
Q3
12.01%
ATO
9.79%
Median
9.44%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%

PPL

Utilities industry group

8.63%

Max
17.99%
Q3
12.01%
Median
9.44%
PPL
8.63%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Atmos Energy (ATO) at 28.50% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of PPL (PPL) at 13.47%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ATO

Utilities industry group

28.50%

Max
28.78%
ATO
28.50%
Q3
17.30%
Median
12.73%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%

PPL

Utilities industry group

13.47%

Max
28.78%
Q3
17.30%
PPL
13.47%
Median
12.73%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Atmos Energy (ATO) at 37.22% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of PPL (PPL) at 23.59%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ATO

Utilities industry group

37.22%

Max
53.83%
ATO
37.22%
Q3
31.12%
Median
23.62%
Q1
15.45%
Min
-4.90%

PPL

Utilities industry group

23.59%

Max
53.83%
Q3
31.12%
Median
23.62%
PPL
23.59%
Q1
15.45%
Min
-4.90%
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Atmos Energy (ATO) and PPL (PPL)
MetricATOPPL
ROE (TTM)9.79%8.63%
ROA (TTM)3.89%3.20%
Net Margin (TTM)28.50%13.47%
Operating Margin (TTM)37.22%23.59%
Gross Margin (TTM)62.21%44.09%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Atmos Energy (ATO) at 12.91% and PPL (PPL) at 6.85% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

PPL (PPL) at 32.50% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Atmos Energy (ATO) at 9.22% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for PPL.

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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Atmos Energy (ATO) and PPL (PPL)
MetricATOPPL
Revenue Growth (YoY)12.91%6.85%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)3.83%4.59%
EPS Growth (YoY)9.22%32.50%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)10.03%15.95%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Atmos Energy (ATO) at 0.81 and PPL (PPL) at 0.91 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

ATO

Utilities industry group

0.81

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
Median
0.88
ATO
0.81
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29

PPL

Utilities industry group

0.91

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
PPL
0.91
Median
0.88
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Atmos Energy (ATO) at 0.68 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while PPL (PPL) at 1.35 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

ATO

Utilities industry group

0.68

Max
2.63
Q3
1.77
Median
1.35
Q1
0.84
ATO
0.68
Min
0.00

PPL

Utilities industry group

1.35

Max
2.63
Q3
1.77
PPL
1.35
Median
1.35
Q1
0.84
Min
0.00
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Atmos Energy (ATO) and PPL (PPL)
MetricATOPPL
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.810.91
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.681.35
Net Debt / EBITDA3.745.33

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

PPL (PPL) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Atmos Energy (ATO) reports a yield of 2.21%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ATO

Utilities industry group

2.21%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
Median
2.85%
ATO
2.21%
Q1
0.66%
Min
0.00%

PPL

Utilities industry group

0.00%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
Median
2.85%
Q1
0.66%
PPL
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Atmos Energy (ATO) at 46.13% and PPL (PPL) at 65.98% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

ATO

Utilities industry group

46.13%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
Median
56.38%
ATO
46.13%
Q1
32.38%
Min
0.00%

PPL

Utilities industry group

65.98%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
PPL
65.98%
Median
56.38%
Q1
32.38%
Min
0.00%
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Atmos Energy (ATO) and PPL (PPL)
MetricATOPPL
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.21%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)46.13%65.98%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Atmos Energy (ATO) at 20.65 and PPL (PPL) at 20.57 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

ATO

Utilities industry group

20.65

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
ATO
20.65
Median
19.64
Q1
15.17
Min
3.34

PPL

Utilities industry group

20.57

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
PPL
20.57
Median
19.64
Q1
15.17
Min
3.34
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

PPL (PPL) at 2.87 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Atmos Energy (ATO) at 5.95 sits in the pricier quartile — ATO costs more per dollar of sales.

ATO

Utilities industry group

5.95

Max
6.35
ATO
5.95
Q3
3.63
Median
2.63
Q1
1.52
Min
0.00

PPL

Utilities industry group

2.87

Max
6.35
Q3
3.63
PPL
2.87
Median
2.63
Q1
1.52
Min
0.00
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Atmos Energy (ATO) at 1.92 and PPL (PPL) at 1.81 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

ATO

Utilities industry group

1.92

Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
ATO
1.92
Median
1.83
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34

PPL

Utilities industry group

1.81

Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
Median
1.83
PPL
1.81
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. PPL (PPL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Atmos Energy (ATO) and PPL (PPL)
MetricATOPPL
P/E Ratio (TTM)20.6520.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)5.952.87
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.921.81
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-7.59%-7.19%