Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO) – What Are Investment Firms Thinking About This Stock?

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $183.27.

ATO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, July 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Barclays cut their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William Ware purchased 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $81,783.92. This trade represents a 159.57% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ATO. Compound Planning Inc. raised its position in Atmos Energy by 3.7% in the first quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,716 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $317,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 0.8% in the first quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 8,153 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,506,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 39.1% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,119 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $193,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amarillo National Bank grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Amarillo National Bank now owns 28,641 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,291,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO stock opened at $172.49 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $29.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.53, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.57. Atmos Energy has a twelve month low of $154.72 and a twelve month high of $192.51. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $164.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $172.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $879.06 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $900.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 47.62%.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) is a regulated natural gas utility that distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers. The company also operates natural gas pipeline and storage assets, supporting the transportation and management of gas within its service areas.

Atmos Energy serves more than 3 million distribution customers across eight states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Kansas and Colorado. Its distribution operations include a large network of natural gas pipelines and related infrastructure, while its pipeline and storage business provides transportation and storage services primarily in Texas and Mississippi.

The company traces its history to 1906 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.