Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.03 EPS

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03, Zacks reports. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.83% and a net margin of 25.04%. Atmos Energy updated its FY 2025 guidance to 7.050-7.250 EPS.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.9 %

ATO stock traded up $2.74 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $145.14. The stock had a trading volume of 12,644 shares, compared to its average volume of 871,057. Atmos Energy has a one year low of $110.46 and a one year high of $152.65. The company’s 50 day moving average is $141.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.11. The company has a market capitalization of $22.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is presently 50.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Mizuho boosted their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

Insider Activity

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the regulated natural gas distribution, and pipeline and storage businesses in the United States. It operates through two segments, Distribution, and Pipeline and Storage. The Distribution segment is involved in the regulated natural gas distribution and related sales operations in eight states.