Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts’ consensus is a Hold rating from 13 firms (1 sell, 9 hold, 2 buy, 1 strong buy) with an average 1‑year price target of $175.67.
• Atmos beat the quarter with $2.44 EPS vs. $2.41 expected and $1.34B revenue vs. $1.21B, and issued FY2026 guidance of 8.15–8.35 EPS, above the sell‑side average ~7.18 EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.00 (annualized $4.00) yielding about 2.2%, with an ex‑dividend date of Feb 23 and a payout ratio near 52%.

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Hold" by the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $175.6667.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ATO shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Citigroup lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $159.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Garner Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 85.9% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth about $29,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $185.34 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $30.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.07, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.74. Atmos Energy has a 52-week low of $141.59 and a 52-week high of $187.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company's 50 day moving average is $173.37 and its 200 day moving average is $171.65.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.95%.

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.

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