Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a 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 $185.09.

ATO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Argus decreased their price objective 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. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 18th.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director William Ware purchased 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $81,783.92. This trade represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.43% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,624,975,000. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,893,826 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,993,968,000 after purchasing an additional 927,986 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 416,933 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.9% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in Atmos Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,887,367 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $484,009,000 after buying an additional 47,860 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $157.46 on Friday. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $167.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $175.23. The stock has a market cap of $26.61 billion, a PE ratio of 18.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.60. Atmos Energy has a 1 year low of $155.00 and a 1 year high of $192.51.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 company posted $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 8.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 47.56%.

About Atmos Energy

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.