Atmos Energy (ATO) Competitors

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) and Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) are both large-cap utilities companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, media sentiment, profitability, dividends, valuation and institutional ownership.

Does the media prefer LNT or ATO?

In the previous week, Atmos Energy had 5 more articles in the media than Alliant Energy. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for Atmos Energy and 9 mentions for Alliant Energy. Alliant Energy's average media sentiment score of 1.53 beat Atmos Energy's score of 1.43 indicating that Alliant Energy is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Alliant Energy	7 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Atmos Energy	10 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more risk and volatility, LNT or ATO?

Alliant Energy has a beta of 0.56, suggesting that its share price is 44% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Atmos Energy has a beta of 0.7, suggesting that its share price is 30% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is LNT or ATO more profitable?

Atmos Energy has a net margin of 25.35% compared to Alliant Energy's net margin of 18.26%. Alliant Energy's return on equity of 12.01% beat Atmos Energy's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Alliant Energy	18.26%	12.01%	3.71%
Atmos Energy	25.35%	9.05%	4.39%

Which has preferable earnings and valuation, LNT or ATO?

Atmos Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Alliant Energy. Atmos Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Alliant Energy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Alliant Energy	$4.08B	3.90	$690M	$2.90	21.36
Atmos Energy	$4.17B	5.83	$1.04B	$7.20	21.22

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in LNT or ATO?

79.9% of Alliant Energy shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.2% of Atmos Energy shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Alliant Energy shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Atmos Energy shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is LNT or ATO a better dividend stock?

Alliant Energy pays an annual dividend of $2.03 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. Atmos Energy pays an annual dividend of $3.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Alliant Energy pays out 70.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Atmos Energy pays out 48.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Alliant Energy has increased its dividend for 22 consecutive years and Atmos Energy has increased its dividend for 41 consecutive years.

Do analysts rate LNT or ATO?

Alliant Energy presently has a consensus target price of $64.32, indicating a potential upside of 3.82%. Atmos Energy has a consensus target price of $156.05, indicating a potential upside of 2.16%. Given Alliant Energy's higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Alliant Energy is more favorable than Atmos Energy.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Alliant Energy	1 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.36
Atmos Energy	0 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.73

Summary

Atmos Energy beats Alliant Energy on 14 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.