Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO), Black Hills Corporation (BKH), and ONE Gas, Inc. (OGS) are prominent players in the regulated natural gas utility sector, offering stable dividends and defensive characteristics amid volatile markets. This comparison evaluates their business models, recent performance, and market positioning, helping income-oriented investors and traders assess relative strengths in a low-interest-rate environment favoring utilities. With natural gas demand influenced by weather patterns and infrastructure investments, these stocks provide insights into sector resilience and growth potential.
Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO) is the largest publicly traded, fully regulated pure-play natural gas utility in the U.S., distributing gas to 3.4 million customers across eight states via 76,000 miles of mains. Its Pipeline and Storage segment supports third-party transport. In recent market activity, ATO shares have shown stability, trading around $188 with a 13% YTD gain and 13% three-month rise, near the upper end of its 52-week range ($150-$193). Positive sentiment stems from anticipated Q2 earnings growth of over 10% and analyst price target adjustments around $189, reflecting confidence in distribution expansion and operational efficiency.
Black Hills Corporation (BKH) operates as a diversified utility serving electric and natural gas customers in multiple states, with 1,386 MW generation capacity and extensive gas infrastructure including storage. Recent weeks have seen BKH shares climb around $75, up nearly 10% YTD and showing monthly gains amid broader utility momentum. Key drivers include a quarterly dividend declaration, strong annual meeting outcomes with EPS of $4.10, and exposure to data center demand via hyperscaler opportunities, bolstering investor sentiment despite a smaller scale compared to pure gas peers.
ONE Gas, Inc. (OGS) focuses on regulated natural gas distribution to 2.3 million customers in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas through 43,200 miles of pipelines. Shares have performed strongly in recent market activity, hovering near $89 with a leading 16% YTD increase and proximity to the 52-week high ($71-$91). Influences include upward analyst revisions to $92 average targets and consistent operational reliability, supporting positive momentum in a sector benefiting from steady demand and regulatory stability.
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ATO stands out with its pure-play gas focus and massive scale, driving growth via customer additions and infrastructure, though higher P/E signals premium valuation. BKH differentiates through electric diversification and non-regulated services, offering higher yield but added exposure to power generation risks; recent data center catalysts provide unique upside. OGS mirrors ATO's gas purity but on a smaller footprint, with superior recent momentum and balanced risk. All share low betas and sector tailwinds from demand stability, yet trade-offs emerge in yield (BKH leads), size (ATO), and momentum (OGS).
Tickeron's AI currently leans toward OGS for its consistent trend strength, top YTD returns, and position near 52-week highs, signaling robust relative momentum and fewer near-term catalysts risks compared to peers. However, ATO's scale offers stability, while BKH suits yield seekers—outcomes depend on market evolution.
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It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
ATO’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whileBKH’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s), and OGS’s FA Score reflects 0 green FA rating(s).
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
ATO’s TA Score shows that 3 TA indicator(s) are bullish while BKH’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s), and OGS’s TA Score reflects 2 bullish TA indicator(s).
ATO (@Gas Distributors) experienced а -3.00% price change this week, while BKH (@Gas Distributors) price change was -1.98% , and OGS (@Gas Distributors) price fluctuated -4.35% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Gas Distributors industry was -0.93%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -0.84%, and the average quarterly price growth was +7.21%.
ATO is expected to report earnings on Aug 12, 2026.
BKH is expected to report earnings on Aug 05, 2026.
OGS is expected to report earnings on Aug 04, 2026.
Gas distributors are involved in moving and selling gas – from wellheads or over-distribution systems operated by other firms – to residential and non-residential customers. These companies perform tasks such as the gathering and processing of gas, intrastate and interstate transport, and delivery to the customer. Some of the biggest gas distributing companies in the U.S. include Sempra Energy, Avangrid Inc and Atmos Energy Corporation.
| ATO | BKH | OGS | |
| Capitalization | 30.4B | 5.59B | 5.33B |
| EBITDA | 2.59B | 837M | 783M |
| Gain YTD | 9.254 | 6.805 | 10.862 |
| P/E Ratio | 22.43 | 19.13 | 19.18 |
| Revenue | 4.88B | 2.29B | 2.32B |
| Total Cash | 126M | 23.6M | 11.4M |
| Total Debt | 9.63B | 4.66B | 3.38B |
ATO | BKH | OGS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 57 | 9 | 52 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 76 Overvalued | 50 Fair valued | 55 Fair valued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 5 | 62 | 59 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 71 | 78 | 77 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 54 | 48 | 56 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 46 | 25 | 42 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 65 | 65 | n/a |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
BKH's Valuation (50) in the Electric Utilities industry is in the same range as OGS (55) in the Gas Distributors industry, and is in the same range as ATO (76) in the Gas Distributors industry. This means that BKH's stock grew similarly to OGS’s and similarly to ATO’s over the last 12 months.
ATO's Profit vs Risk Rating (5) in the Gas Distributors industry is somewhat better than the same rating for OGS (59) in the Gas Distributors industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for BKH (62) in the Electric Utilities industry. This means that ATO's stock grew somewhat faster than OGS’s and somewhat faster than BKH’s over the last 12 months.
ATO's SMR Rating (71) in the Gas Distributors industry is in the same range as OGS (77) in the Gas Distributors industry, and is in the same range as BKH (78) in the Electric Utilities industry. This means that ATO's stock grew similarly to OGS’s and similarly to BKH’s over the last 12 months.
BKH's Price Growth Rating (48) in the Electric Utilities industry is in the same range as ATO (54) in the Gas Distributors industry, and is in the same range as OGS (56) in the Gas Distributors industry. This means that BKH's stock grew similarly to ATO’s and similarly to OGS’s over the last 12 months.
BKH's P/E Growth Rating (25) in the Electric Utilities industry is in the same range as OGS (42) in the Gas Distributors industry, and is in the same range as ATO (46) in the Gas Distributors industry. This means that BKH's stock grew similarly to OGS’s and similarly to ATO’s over the last 12 months.
| ATO | BKH | OGS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 37% | 2 days ago 63% | 2 days ago 47% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 62% | 2 days ago 55% | 2 days ago 62% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 38% | 2 days ago 50% | 2 days ago 50% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 37% | 2 days ago 64% | 2 days ago 52% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 33% | 2 days ago 46% | 2 days ago 49% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 33% | 2 days ago 45% | 2 days ago 45% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 15 days ago 49% | 5 days ago 52% | N/A |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 5 days ago 38% | 8 days ago 50% | 5 days ago 50% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 58% | 2 days ago 58% | 2 days ago 68% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 27% | 2 days ago 46% | 2 days ago 44% |
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, ATO has been closely correlated with OGS. These tickers have moved in lockstep 76% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if ATO jumps, then OGS could also see price increases.
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, BKH has been closely correlated with D. These tickers have moved in lockstep 75% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if BKH jumps, then D could also see price increases.