Which is better, ATO or SO?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO) currently grades higher than SO — 56/100 (D grade) vs 46/100 (D). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — ATO wins on Warren Buffett, Philip Fisher, Peter Lynch, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith; SO wins on Benjamin Graham. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy ATO or SO?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both ATO and SO are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is ATO better than SO for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, ATO currently grades higher — 56/100 vs 46/100, a 10-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between ATO and SO on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). ATO currently scores 56/100 (D grade); SO scores 46/100 (D grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, ATO or SO?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. ATO and SO are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, ATO or SO?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are ATO and SO both Utilities stocks?

Yes — both Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO) and The Southern Company (SO) operate in the Utilities sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this ATO vs SO comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

Atmos Energy

The Southern

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

ATO

Atmos Energy

Market cap

$29.68B

Sector

Utilities

The Southern

Market cap

$106.59B

Sector

Utilities

Overall winner

Atmos Energy ATO

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	ATO	SO	Winner
Warren Buffett	56D	46D	ATO
Benjamin Graham	55C	63C	SO
Philip Fisher	57C	45D	ATO
Peter Lynch	57C	49D	ATO
Joel Greenblatt	44D	37D	ATO
Charlie Munger	52D	41D	ATO
Terry Smith	39D	27F	ATO

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	ATO	SO
Market cap	$29.68B	$106.59B
P/E (TTM)	21.9x	23.8x
EV/EBIT	25.1x	24.7x
ROIC (TTM)	4.81%	4.13%
Gross margin	51.43%	43.11%
Net margin	27.58%	14.46%
Revenue CAGR 5y	8.39%	6.34%
EPS CAGR 5y	10.16%	14.91%
Debt / Equity	0.6x	2.0x
Dividend yield	2.11%	3.2%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

ATO leads on

Debt / Equity0.6xvs 2.0x+68%
Net margin27.58%vs 14.46%+48%
Revenue CAGR 5y8.39%vs 6.34%+24%
Gross margin51.43%vs 43.11%+16%

SO leads on

Market cap$106.59Bvs $29.68B+72%
Dividend yield3.2%vs 2.11%+34%
EPS CAGR 5y14.91%vs 10.16%+32%

More like ATO

ATO vs AXIA ATO vs DUKB ATO vs AEP ATO vs NEE ATO vs XEL ATO vs CWEN

More like SO

SO vs AXIA SO vs DUKB SO vs AEP SO vs NEE SO vs XEL SO vs CWEN

Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for ATO Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for SO

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Key terms in this analysis

ROIC Free Cash Flow (FCF)Economic Moat P/E Ratio Margin of Safety Quality Score

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.

Stock comparison

Atmos Energy

The Southern

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

ATO

Atmos Energy

Market cap

$29.68B

Sector

Utilities

The Southern

Market cap

$106.59B

Sector

Utilities

Overall winner

Atmos Energy ATO

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	ATO	SO	Winner
Warren Buffett	56D	46D	ATO
Benjamin Graham	55C	63C	SO
Philip Fisher	57C	45D	ATO
Peter Lynch	57C	49D	ATO
Joel Greenblatt	44D	37D	ATO
Charlie Munger	52D	41D	ATO
Terry Smith	39D	27F	ATO

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	ATO	SO
Market cap	$29.68B	$106.59B
P/E (TTM)	21.9x	23.8x
EV/EBIT	25.1x	24.7x
ROIC (TTM)	4.81%	4.13%
Gross margin	51.43%	43.11%
Net margin	27.58%	14.46%
Revenue CAGR 5y	8.39%	6.34%
EPS CAGR 5y	10.16%	14.91%
Debt / Equity	0.6x	2.0x
Dividend yield	2.11%	3.2%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

ATO leads on

Debt / Equity0.6xvs 2.0x+68%
Net margin27.58%vs 14.46%+48%
Revenue CAGR 5y8.39%vs 6.34%+24%
Gross margin51.43%vs 43.11%+16%

SO leads on

Market cap$106.59Bvs $29.68B+72%
Dividend yield3.2%vs 2.11%+34%
EPS CAGR 5y14.91%vs 10.16%+32%

More like ATO

ATO vs AXIA ATO vs DUKB ATO vs AEP ATO vs NEE ATO vs XEL ATO vs CWEN

More like SO

SO vs AXIA SO vs DUKB SO vs AEP SO vs NEE SO vs XEL SO vs CWEN

Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for ATO Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for SO

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Key terms in this analysis

ROIC Free Cash Flow (FCF)Economic Moat P/E Ratio Margin of Safety Quality Score

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.