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

Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the thirteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $174.3333.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ATO. Wall Street Zen lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Atmos Energy from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $159.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $180.29 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $169.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $169.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.75. Atmos Energy has a 12-month low of $141.59 and a 12-month high of $181.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The utilities provider reported $2.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.21 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.67% and a return on equity of 9.20%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.23 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.150-8.350 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 51.95%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.15, for a total transaction of $77,017.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 877 shares in the company, valued at $150,098.55. This represents a 33.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 506,617 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $84,924,000 after buying an additional 18,423 shares during the last quarter. EFG International AG bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $313,000. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in Atmos Energy by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 97,758 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $16,387,000 after buying an additional 4,088 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE: ATO) is a U.S.-based natural-gas utility that primarily focuses on the regulated distribution of natural gas. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company operates through local distribution systems to deliver natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and electric generation customers. Atmos’s core activities include pipeline operations, gas distribution, system maintenance and reliability programs designed to ensure safe and continuous service to its customers.

The company’s services encompass gas delivery, system integrity and maintenance, storage and transmission connections, and customer-facing programs such as billing, conservation initiatives and energy-efficiency offerings.