ATO vs BKH Stock Comparison

Compare ATO and BKH across AIQ Score, fundamentals, valuation, momentum, risk, analyst expectations and current market evidence.

Market data as of Sep 11, 2026 market close· AIQ score gap 1 points
ATO
Utilities
vs
BKH
Utilities
ATO
Atmos Energy Corporation
Price
$163
Day move
-0.98%
AIQ Score
46/100
Best edge
Quality
Sector
Utilities
BKH
Black Hills Corporation
Leads
Price
$71.30
Day move
-1.36%
AIQ Score
47/100
Best edge
Value
Sector
Utilities

What is the main difference between ATO and BKH?

BKH leads the current stock comparison as Black Hills Corporation, with the clearest separation coming from value and the broader AIQ evidence mix.

AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison

Atmos Energy Corporation vs Black Hills Corporation

Data as of Sep 11, 2026· market close· Utilities· Coverage 66/66 fields· High confidence
AIQ VerdictFragileAIQ Comparison Conviction 3/10

BKH leads

BKH leads by 1 AIQ points, primarily on Value and Momentum, but the lead has narrowed from 4 points over 30 sessions.

Fragile: 3 of 6 evidence groups support BKH, its lead is narrowing, and its signal state is cleanly positive.

Evidence agreement: 3 of 6Comparison trend: Weakening
ATO

Atmos Energy Corporation

AIQ Score
46/100
AIQ Edge Score
7/10
BKH

Black Hills Corporation

Leads
AIQ Score
47/100
AIQ Edge Score
7/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors BKH over ATO, 47 versus 46 as of Sep 11, 2026. BKH's advantage is driven primarily by stronger value and momentum, while ATO holds the stronger quality profile. BKH also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor BKH today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the AIQ gap is narrow at 1 points. BKH lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 4 to 1 points over 30 sessions.

Compare Atmos Energy Corporation and Black Hills Corporation across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.

Currently unavailable

Performance over time

Price-return comparison using available daily close history.

ATO
+78.8%
BKH
+6.9%

Total return comparison

Growth of $10,000

ATO $17,879 · BKH $10,691

Based on available close-price history. Distribution reinvestment is not added unless already reflected in the source series.

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AIQ Factor Divergence

Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.

ATO advantage
0
BKH advantage
  • Quality57 vs 40
    ATO +17
  • Value41 vs 56
    BKH +15
  • Momentum29 vs 38
    BKH +9
  • Risk Resilience61 vs 55
    ATO +6

3 of 6 evidence groups favor BKH. BKH’s edge is concentrated in value and momentum; ATO keeps a meaningful quality edge.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-09-10, compared against the prior scored session 2026-09-09.

ATO0 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum -2

New signals

  • BB Lower Band Breach bullish, volatility, short horizon
  • MACD Bearish Crossover bearish, momentum, short horizon
BKH-2 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum -9

No new signals fired.

BKH's lead narrowed by 2 AIQ points in the latest snapshot.

Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — ATO and BKH both carry a full feed there.

The central trade-off

BKH (Black Hills Corporation): the stronger current systematic profile, led by value and momentum.

ATO (Atmos Energy Corporation): the counter-case, on quality, risk resilience, fundamentals.

Which one fits your objective

The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.

Balanced

BKH

BKH on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.

Growth

Even

Growth figures are not covered for both names.

Value

BKH

BKH on the peer-relative Value factor, by 15 points.

Momentum

BKH

BKH on the Momentum factor, by 9 points.

Lower downside

ATO

ATO on Risk Resilience, by 6 points.

Analyst upside

BKH

BKH on implied upside to the consensus price target.

AIQ vs Wall Street

Where the systematic read and the analyst consensus line up — and where they do not.

MeasureATOBKHNote
Implied upside to target+15.3%+18.5%BKH has more room
Target dispersion+11.2%+15.4%Lower is tighter analyst agreement
ConsensusHoldBuyContext, not a primary driver
Analysts covering62Higher coverage generally improves confidence

Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

AIQ Agreement Matrix

3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor BKH. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreEven46 vs 47
FundamentalsATOon balancerevenue growth -55.2% vs -42%; EPS growth -58.7% vs -71.3%; TTM ROE 9.7% vs 7.7%; gross margin 61% vs 42.9%; operating margin 37% vs 23.8% — ATO takes 4 of 5 decided legs, not all of them
ValuationBKHValue 41 vs 56
TechnicalsBKHPrice vs 50-day -5.3% vs -2.9%; vs 200-day -5.4% vs -0.6%
Risk ResilienceATORisk Resilience 61 vs 55
Analyst expectationsBKHTarget upside 15.3% vs 18.5%

✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of ATO and BKH and are excluded from the count.

AIQ Decision Stability

Fragile

The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.

  • The AIQ gap is narrow at 1 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • Only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • The leader's advantage has been narrowing. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
  • The leader's signal state is cleanly positive. (supports the conclusion holding)

Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on BKH.

How the comparison changed

119 daily snapshots · May 4 Sep 10

BKH lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 4 to 1 points over 30 sessions.

May 4ATO leads above the line · BKH leads belowSep 10
Today
BKH +1
46 vs 47
7 sessions ago
BKH +1
48 vs 49
30 sessions ago
BKH +4
46 vs 50
90 sessions ago
ATO +11
58 vs 47

The lead changed hands 10 times in this window, most recently on Aug 6 when BKH moved ahead of ATO.

AIQ Signal Divergence

Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.

ATOConflicted

1 bullish / 3 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted

  • Death Cross Active bearish, trend, long horizon (1.76%)
  • Bollinger Band Squeeze neutral, volatility, short horizon
  • BB Lower Band Breach bullish, volatility, short horizon
BKH

2 bullish / 0 bearish / 1 neutral

  • Golden Cross Active bullish, trend, long horizon (1.06%)
  • Bollinger Band Squeeze neutral, volatility, short horizon
  • MACD Bullish Crossover bullish, momentum, short horizon

ATO is conflicted, so the timing case there is weaker than the score alone suggests.

Price vs model alignment

Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.

ATONo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.98%, AIQ 0 points).

BKHConfirmed weakness

Price and the AIQ Score both moved down over the latest session (price -1.36%, AIQ -2 points).

What would flip this result

A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.

  1. 1ATO closes the Value gap — currently 15 points behind, the largest single contributor to BKH's edge.
  2. 2ATO's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
  3. 3BKH's Golden Cross Active breaks down — it is the strongest rule currently supporting the verdict.
  4. 4The narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 3 points over 30 sessions, and a further 1-point move would eliminate BKH's advantage entirely.

The full evidence

Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.

Fundamentals

ATO leads on balance
MetricATOBKH
Revenue growth (YoY)-55.2%-42%
EPS growth (YoY)-58.7%-71.3%
Gross margin61%42.9%
Operating margin37%23.8%
Return on equity (TTM)9.7%7.7%
Debt to equity0.671.14

Performance

BKH leads 6 of 6 windows
MetricATOBKH
1 week (5 sessions)-1.7%-0.4%
1 month (20 sessions)-2.8%-1.2%
3 months (63 sessions)-2.6%0.5%
6 months (126 sessions)-10.6%3.1%
Year to date-1%4.1%
1 year (252 sessions)0.6%23.6%

Technicals

BKH has the stronger structure
MetricATOBKH
RSI (14)34.645.1
ADX (14)9.58.3
Price vs 50-day-5.3%-2.9%
Price vs 200-day-5.4%-0.6%
Volatility (1M, annualized)13.1%17.1%

Risk

ATO is the more resilient
MetricATOBKH
Beta-0.160.07
Sharpe ratio-0.140.86
Sortino ratio-0.221.32
Max drawdown-14.3%-11.8%
Current drawdown-14.3%-5.9%
Annualized volatility15.6%22.9%
Value at risk (95%)-1.7%-2.2%

Straight answers

Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.

Which is better, ATO or BKH?

On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, BKH is the stronger of the two as of Sep 11, 2026, scoring 47 against ATO's 46. The edge comes from value and momentum. ATO is not without a case — it holds the better quality profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.

Is ATO or BKH the better buy right now?

BKH carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 11, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: the AIQ gap is narrow at 1 points. Treat the lead as provisional.

Why does the AIQ Score favor BKH over ATO?

The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. ATO leads Quality by 17 points; BKH leads Value by 15 points; BKH leads Momentum by 9 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.

Which has more analyst upside, ATO or BKH?

Analyst price targets imply +15.3% upside for ATO and +18.5% for BKH, so the Street currently favors BKH. The model and the Street agree here, which is a broader base of evidence than either alone. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

Which is better value, ATO or BKH?

BKH is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. BKH on the peer-relative Value factor, by 15 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.

Which has stronger growth, ATO or BKH?

Growth figures are not covered for both names. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.

Which has stronger momentum, ATO or BKH?

BKH on the Momentum factor, by 9 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.

Which is riskier, ATO or BKH?

ATO is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. ATO on Risk Resilience, by 6 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.

Is ATO more profitable than BKH?

ATO leads on the comparable margin measures — gross margin 61% vs 42.9%; operating margin 37% vs 23.8%; ttm roe 9.7% vs 7.7%.

Is BKH's lead over ATO getting stronger or weaker?

BKH lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 4 to 1 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 119 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-05-04 and 2026-09-10. The lead has changed hands 10 times in that window, most recently on 2026-08-06, when BKH moved ahead of ATO.

What would change the ATO vs BKH verdict?

The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: ATO closes the Value gap — currently 15 points behind, the largest single contributor to BKH's edge; ATO's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; BKH's Golden Cross Active breaks down — it is the strongest rule currently supporting the verdict; the narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 3 points over 30 sessions, and a further 1-point move would eliminate BKH's advantage entirely.

What do the current signals say about ATO and BKH?

ATO: 1 bullish / 3 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. BKH: 2 bullish / 0 bearish / 1 neutral. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on ATO is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On BKH it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).

Compare ATO and BKH with others

Continue your research

This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.

How this comparison is scored

The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.

The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.

How to use side-by-side comparison →

This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.