Atmos Energy’s (ATO) Buy Rating Reiterated at Argus

Argus reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $185.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on ATO. Barclays dropped their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price target (down from $198.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $183.58.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $160.68 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $165.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $173.87. Atmos Energy has a 12 month low of $154.72 and a 12 month high of $192.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.15 billion, a PE ratio of 19.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.57.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $900.82 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.67%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Analysts forecast that Atmos Energy will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

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, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,783.92. The trade was a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Compound Planning Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.7% in the first quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,716 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $317,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 0.8% during the first quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 8,153 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,506,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted 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 worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake 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 worth $193,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amarillo National Bank raised its position 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 valued at $5,291,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

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.