Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Hits New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $187.98 and last traded at $187.3060, with a volume of 434617 shares. The stock had previously closed at $186.79.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $165.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $159.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $175.67.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.1%

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $171.56 and its 200 day moving average is $170.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $30.92 billion, a PE ratio of 24.28, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.74.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The utilities provider reported $2.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.21 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.67% and a return on equity of 9.20%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.23 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.150-8.350 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.15, for a total transaction of $77,017.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 877 shares in the company, valued at approximately $150,098.55. This trade represents a 33.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ATO. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 16.7% in the second quarter. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. now owns 7,625 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,175,000 after acquiring an additional 1,093 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 206.8% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 26,925 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,597,000 after purchasing an additional 18,148 shares during the period. Allstate Corp bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter worth about $961,000. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 33.8% during the 3rd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 18,332 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,130,000 after purchasing an additional 4,636 shares during the period. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its position in Atmos Energy by 267.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 2,822 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 2,053 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE: ATO) is a U.S.-based natural-gas utility that primarily focuses on the regulated distribution of natural gas. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company operates through local distribution systems to deliver natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and electric generation customers. Atmos’s core activities include pipeline operations, gas distribution, system maintenance and reliability programs designed to ensure safe and continuous service to its customers.

The company’s services encompass gas delivery, system integrity and maintenance, storage and transmission connections, and customer-facing programs such as billing, conservation initiatives and energy-efficiency offerings.