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ATO vs. TLN: Atmos Energy vs. Talen Energy Stock Comparison

How do Atmos Energy (ATO) and Talen Energy (TLN) 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 Talen Energy (TLN) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but ATO is classified in Gas Utilities while TLN is classified in Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers.

Atmos Energy (ATO) has more than two decades of public-market history since December 28, 1983, whereas Talen Energy (TLN) listed on June 2, 2023 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Atmos Energy (ATO) and Talen Energy (TLN)
Profile ItemATOTLN
NameAtmos Energy CorporationTalen Energy Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorUtilitiesUtilities
GICS Industry GroupUtilitiesUtilities
GICS IndustryGas UtilitiesIndependent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers
GICS Sub-IndustryGas UtilitiesIndependent Power Producers & Energy Traders
Market Capitalization29.27 billion USD14.73 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateDecember 28, 1983June 2, 2023
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ATO
TLN
GSPC
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. Talen Energy (TLN), 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 Talen Energy (TLN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Atmos Energy (ATO) and Talen Energy (TLN)
MetricATOTLN
Total Return (1Y)0.43%-6.63%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)18.83%88.64%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)16.10%--

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ATO
TLN
GSPC
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. Talen Energy (TLN), 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 Talen Energy (TLN). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Talen Energy (TLN) has an aggressive beta of 1.53, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Atmos Energy (ATO) is defensive at 0.55 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Atmos Energy (ATO) and Talen Energy (TLN)
MetricATOTLN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)16.06%58.28%
Beta (5Y)0.551.53
Max Drawdown (5Y)-19.08%-36.72%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.03M1.01M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ATO and TLN 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 Talen Energy (TLN)
MetricATOTLN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.24-0.19
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.34-0.26

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Talen Energy (TLN) reports a negative ROE of -16.54%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Atmos Energy (ATO) reports 9.79%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ATO

Utilities industry group

9.79%

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

TLN

Utilities industry group

-16.54%

Max
17.99%
Q3
12.01%
Median
9.44%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%
TLN
-16.54%
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Talen Energy (TLN) reports a negative net margin of -5.67%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Atmos Energy (ATO) reports 28.50%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ATO

Utilities industry group

28.50%

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

TLN

Utilities industry group

-5.67%

Max
28.78%
Q3
17.30%
Median
12.73%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%
TLN
-5.67%
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): 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 Talen Energy (TLN) at 17.35%, 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%

TLN

Utilities industry group

17.35%

Max
53.83%
Q3
31.12%
Median
23.62%
TLN
17.35%
Q1
15.45%
Min
-4.90%
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Atmos Energy (ATO) and Talen Energy (TLN)
MetricATOTLN
ROE (TTM)9.79%-16.54%
ROA (TTM)3.89%0.88%
Net Margin (TTM)28.50%-5.67%
Operating Margin (TTM)37.22%17.35%
Gross Margin (TTM)62.21%42.67%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Talen Energy (TLN) at 26.68% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Atmos Energy (ATO) at 12.91% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for TLN.

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

EPS Growth

Atmos Energy (ATO) at 9.22% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Talen Energy (TLN) at -127.11% falls below its industry range, a notably weak earnings reading.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Atmos Energy (ATO) and Talen Energy (TLN)
MetricATOTLN
Revenue Growth (YoY)12.91%26.68%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)3.83%2.87%
EPS Growth (YoY)9.22%-127.11%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)10.03%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Atmos Energy (ATO) at 0.81 and Talen Energy (TLN) at 0.89 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

TLN

Utilities industry group

0.89

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
TLN
0.89
Median
0.88
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): 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 quartile, while Talen Energy (TLN) at 5.97 is above its industry debt-to-equity ratio range.

ATO

Utilities industry group

0.68

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

TLN

Utilities industry group

5.97

TLN
5.97
Max
2.63
Q3
1.77
Median
1.35
Q1
0.84
Min
0.00
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): 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 Talen Energy (TLN)
MetricATOTLN
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.810.89
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.685.97
Net Debt / EBITDA3.7413.69

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Talen Energy (TLN) 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%

TLN

Utilities industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Talen Energy (TLN) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Atmos Energy (ATO) reports a payout of 46.13%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ATO

Utilities industry group

46.13%

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

TLN

Utilities industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Atmos Energy (ATO) and Talen Energy (TLN)
MetricATOTLN
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.21%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)46.13%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Atmos Energy (ATO) trades at 20.65 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Talen Energy (TLN) has no P/E ratio this period.

ATO

Utilities industry group

20.65

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

TLN

Utilities industry group

--

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
Median
19.64
Q1
15.17
Min
3.34
TLN
--
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): TLN does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; ATO is benchmarked against the Utilities industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Talen Energy (TLN) at 3.29 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

TLN

Utilities industry group

3.29

Max
6.35
Q3
3.63
TLN
3.29
Median
2.63
Q1
1.52
Min
0.00
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Atmos Energy (ATO) at 1.92 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Talen Energy (TLN) at 10.14 prices above its benchmark range — TLN looks rich relative to book.

ATO

Utilities industry group

1.92

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

TLN

Utilities industry group

10.14

TLN
10.14
Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
Median
1.83
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34
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Atmos Energy (ATO) vs. Talen Energy (TLN): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Atmos Energy (ATO) and Talen Energy (TLN)
MetricATOTLN
P/E Ratio (TTM)20.65--
P/S Ratio (TTM)5.953.29
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.9210.14
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-7.59%6.39%