Atmos Energy's (ATO) Neutral Rating Reiterated at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan reaffirmed its “neutral” rating on Atmos Energy and lowered its price target from $198 to $180, implying approximately 9% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but leans toward “hold”: MarketBeat reports three Buy ratings and ten Holds, with a consensus price target of $186.09.
• Atmos Energy’s latest quarterly earnings exceeded expectations, with EPS of $1.43 versus the $1.35 consensus, while revenue of $879.06 million fell short of estimates.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "neutral" rating reaffirmed by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $180.00 price target on the utilities provider's stock, down from their prior price target of $198.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target suggests a potential upside of 8.98% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on ATO. Barclays dropped their price target 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. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $196.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $186.09.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO stock opened at $165.17 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $172.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.53. Atmos Energy has a 1 year low of $160.10 and a 1 year high of $192.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.72, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.67%. The firm had revenue of $879.06 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $900.82 million. During the same quarter 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 predict that Atmos Energy will post 8.46 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director William Ware bought 300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 488 shares in the company, valued at $81,783.92. This trade represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ATO. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 627.3% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Finally, Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation NYSE: ATO is a regulated natural gas distribution and pipeline company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Through its utility operations, the company delivers natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers, with services focused on safe and reliable energy delivery.

Atmos Energy serves customers across eight states: Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Its operations include local natural gas distribution as well as pipeline transportation and storage activities, primarily through its Atmos Pipeline-Texas business.

The company traces its roots to 1906 and has expanded over time through growth and acquisitions in the natural gas industry.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.