JPMorgan Chase & Co. Reiterates Neutral Rating for Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO)

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reiterated by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $180.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock, down from their prior price target of $198.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price points to a potential upside of 8.98% from the company’s previous close.

ATO has been the topic of several other reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $193.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $196.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $192.00 to $184.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $186.09.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.2%

Atmos Energy stock opened at $165.17 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $172.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $177.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Atmos Energy has a 12 month low of $160.10 and a 12 month high of $192.51. The stock has a market cap of $27.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.60.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.67%. The business had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $900.82 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Atmos Energy will post 8.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director William Ware acquired 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,783.92. The trade was a 159.57% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 163.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 42,632 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,344,000 after purchasing an additional 26,454 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 2.4% in the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 250,465 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $43,148,000 after purchasing an additional 5,778 shares in the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth $13,458,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 62.7% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 15,376 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,649,000 after purchasing an additional 5,924 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 85.8% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,178 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $547,000 after buying an additional 1,468 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) is a regulated natural gas distribution and pipeline company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Through its utility operations, the company delivers natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers, with services focused on safe and reliable energy delivery.

Atmos Energy serves customers across eight states: Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Its operations include local natural gas distribution as well as pipeline transportation and storage activities, primarily through its Atmos Pipeline-Texas business.

The company traces its roots to 1906 and has expanded over time through growth and acquisitions in the natural gas industry.