Which is better, ATO or NEE?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE) currently grades higher than ATO — 58/100 (D grade) vs 56/100 (D). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — ATO wins on none; NEE wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Peter Lynch, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy ATO or NEE?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both ATO and NEE 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 NEE for value investing?

The two are close on the headline Buffett-Fit score (56/100 vs 58/100), so "better for value investing" depends on which pillar you weight most. The five Buffett pillars + six other frameworks are broken down side-by-side on this page so you can pick the one that fits your style.

What's the difference between ATO and NEE 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); NEE scores 58/100 (D grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, ATO or NEE?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. ATO and NEE 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 NEE?

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 NEE both Utilities stocks?

Yes — both Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO) and NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE) 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 NEE 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

NextEra Energy

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

NEE

NextEra Energy

Market cap

$185.35B

Sector

Utilities

Overall winner

NextEra Energy NEE

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

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	ATO	NEE	Winner
Warren Buffett	56D	58D	NEE
Benjamin Graham	55C	69B	NEE
Philip Fisher	57C	65C	NEE
Peter Lynch	57C	59C	NEE
Joel Greenblatt	44D	52D	NEE
Charlie Munger	52D	56D	NEE
Terry Smith	39D	43D	NEE

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	ATO	NEE
Market cap	$29.68B	$185.35B
P/E (TTM)	21.9x	22.7x
EV/EBIT	25.1x	34.8x
ROIC (TTM)	4.81%	3.99%
Gross margin	51.43%	67.32%
Net margin	27.58%	29.03%
Revenue CAGR 5y	8.39%	12.64%
EPS CAGR 5y	10.16%	16.12%
Debt / Equity	0.6x	1.9x
Dividend yield	2.11%	2.61%

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 1.9x+66%
EV/EBIT25.1xvs 34.8x+28%
ROIC (TTM)4.81%vs 3.99%+17%

NEE leads on

Market cap$185.35Bvs $29.68B+84%
EPS CAGR 5y16.12%vs 10.16%+37%
Revenue CAGR 5y12.64%vs 8.39%+34%
Gross margin67.32%vs 51.43%+24%

More like ATO

ATO vs AXIA ATO vs DUKB ATO vs AEP ATO vs XEL ATO vs CWEN ATO vs D

More like NEE

NEE vs AXIA NEE vs DUKB NEE vs AEP NEE vs XEL NEE vs CWEN NEE vs D

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

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

NextEra Energy

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

NEE

NextEra Energy

Market cap

$185.35B

Sector

Utilities

Overall winner

NextEra Energy NEE

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

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	ATO	NEE	Winner
Warren Buffett	56D	58D	NEE
Benjamin Graham	55C	69B	NEE
Philip Fisher	57C	65C	NEE
Peter Lynch	57C	59C	NEE
Joel Greenblatt	44D	52D	NEE
Charlie Munger	52D	56D	NEE
Terry Smith	39D	43D	NEE

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	ATO	NEE
Market cap	$29.68B	$185.35B
P/E (TTM)	21.9x	22.7x
EV/EBIT	25.1x	34.8x
ROIC (TTM)	4.81%	3.99%
Gross margin	51.43%	67.32%
Net margin	27.58%	29.03%
Revenue CAGR 5y	8.39%	12.64%
EPS CAGR 5y	10.16%	16.12%
Debt / Equity	0.6x	1.9x
Dividend yield	2.11%	2.61%

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 1.9x+66%
EV/EBIT25.1xvs 34.8x+28%
ROIC (TTM)4.81%vs 3.99%+17%

NEE leads on

Market cap$185.35Bvs $29.68B+84%
EPS CAGR 5y16.12%vs 10.16%+37%
Revenue CAGR 5y12.64%vs 8.39%+34%
Gross margin67.32%vs 51.43%+24%

More like ATO

ATO vs AXIA ATO vs DUKB ATO vs AEP ATO vs XEL ATO vs CWEN ATO vs D

More like NEE

NEE vs AXIA NEE vs DUKB NEE vs AEP NEE vs XEL NEE vs CWEN NEE vs D

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

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.