Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $183.58.

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 28th. Argus reduced their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 13th.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.2%

Atmos Energy stock opened at $156.20 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $26.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.57. 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 twelve month low of $154.72 and a twelve month high of $192.51. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $166.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $174.79.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $900.82 million. During the same period 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, analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 8.46 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director William Ware purchased 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the acquisition, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,624,975,000. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,893,826 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,993,968,000 after buying an additional 927,986 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,214,985 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $703,824,000 after buying an additional 78,438 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 11.0% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,199,433 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $775,719,000 after buying an additional 416,933 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in Atmos Energy by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,887,367 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $484,009,000 after acquiring an additional 47,860 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation is a regulated natural gas distribution and pipeline company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company delivers natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers and is one of the largest natural gas distributors in the United States.

Atmos Energy operates through two primary businesses: natural gas distribution and pipeline and storage operations. Its distribution activities include acquiring, transporting, storing and delivering natural gas, while its pipeline operations provide transportation and storage services and support the company’s distribution network.

The company serves customers across eight states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.