Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Stock Price

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) had its price objective dropped by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $179.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective points to a potential upside of 11.07% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on ATO. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, July 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays cut their target price on 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. Argus reduced their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price target (down from $198.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $192.00 to $184.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $185.09.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $161.16 on Friday. Atmos Energy has a 52-week low of $160.10 and a 52-week high of $192.51. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $170.96 and a 200 day moving average of $176.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.24 billion, a PE ratio of 19.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%.The business had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $900.82 million. During the same quarter last 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, research analysts anticipate 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 bought 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,783.92. The trade was a 159.57% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 176.7% in the 2nd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 22,612 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,895,000 after purchasing an additional 14,440 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 163.5% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 42,632 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,344,000 after purchasing an additional 26,454 shares during the period. National Pension Service grew its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $13,458,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 62.7% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 15,376 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,649,000 after buying an additional 5,924 shares during the period. 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 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.