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Atmos Energy vs NiSource: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Atmos Energy holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across growth and stability. NiSource does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. Both sides have seen trend damage — neither carries a clear market edge right now. With both trends damaged, the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-08-16

The clearest separation starts in growth, but stability adds another real layer to the result. The overall score gap is 17 points in favour of Atmos Energy Corporation.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Utilities - Regulated Gas

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. ATO and NI share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Atmos Energy and NiSource each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
ATO
Atmos Energy Corporation
63
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
NI
NiSource Inc.
46
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

Score differences across key dimensions.

Dimension spread: ATO vs NI Profitability 39 37 Stability 75 45 Valuation 77 66 Growth 66 30 ATO NI
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +36
#2 Stability +30
#3 Valuation +11
#4 Profitability +2
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for ATO and NI Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer ATONI Relative valuation Structural strength

Atmos Energy Corporation looks stronger both structurally and on relative valuation.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where ATO and NI each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY ATO Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 0 pct gap NI Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 88th 87th
ATO (88th percentile) and NI (87th percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
On growth, Atmos Energy Corporation ranks near the top of the group; NiSource Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Stability
On stability, the same pattern holds: both are strong, but Atmos Energy Corporation still leads clearly.
Growth — Dominant Gap
ATO
66
NI
30
Gap+36in favour of ATO

Earnings growth is one contributing factor within the growth lead.

What else supports the lead

Stability also supports the lead, so the result is broader than one isolated gap.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both growth and stability, making it broader than a single-dimension result.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the ATO vs NI comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar growth-and-stability comparisons

Explore how ATO and NI each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.