Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $187.7273.

ATO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Argus dropped 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 note on Thursday, July 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, July 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 13th.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $167.38 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $172.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $177.89. The company has a market cap of $28.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.60. 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 has a 1 year low of $160.10 and a 1 year high of $192.51.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $900.82 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.16 EPS. 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 fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director William Ware acquired 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were acquired 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Compound Planning Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,654 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $277,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 1,514 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $254,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.8% in the first quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 8,153 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,506,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 39.1% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 6.3% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,119 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $193,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. 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.