Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Reaches New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $180.93 and last traded at $179.7890, with a volume of 25921 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $179.25.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Zacks Research upgraded Atmos Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group raised their target price 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, Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $174.33.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 1.2%

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $169.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $169.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.14, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.75.

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

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $233,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 3,168 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $490,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 8.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,312 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,676,000 after buying an additional 1,331 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 8.5% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,117 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $482,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 43.9% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 13,410 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,073,000 after buying an additional 4,088 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

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.