Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Stock Now Rated “Hold” by Sell-Side Analysts

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $183.27.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Argus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price target (down from $198.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, September 11th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 28th.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director William Ware purchased 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,783.92. The trade was a 159.57% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ATO. Compound Planning Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the first quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,716 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its position 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 valued at $1,506,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. 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 valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted 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 acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Amarillo National Bank grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.3% in the first quarter. Amarillo National Bank now owns 28,641 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,291,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.5%

ATO opened at $171.32 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy has a 12 month low of $154.72 and a 12 month high of $192.51. The business has a 50-day moving average of $164.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $174.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.57.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $900.82 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 47.62%.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) is a regulated natural gas utility that distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers. The company also operates natural gas pipeline and storage assets, supporting the transportation and management of gas within its service areas.

Atmos Energy serves more than 3 million distribution customers across eight states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Kansas and Colorado. Its distribution operations include a large network of natural gas pipelines and related infrastructure, while its pipeline and storage business provides transportation and storage services primarily in Texas and Mississippi.

The company traces its history to 1906 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.