Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Lowered to "Sell" Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Atmos Energy to "Sell" from "Hold" in a weekend investor note, marking a notable negative analyst action on the stock.
• Despite that downgrade, the consensus rating across analysts remains "Hold" with an average price target of $181.11 and a mix of raised and lowered price targets from other firms.
• Shares trade near the 52-week high (opened $188.80) after a slight quarterly earnings beat, and Atmos set FY2026 EPS guidance of $8.15–$8.35, roughly in line with analyst expectations of about $8.3.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

ATO has been the topic of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $197.00 to $195.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. They set a "hold" rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $167.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $181.11.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE ATO opened at $188.80 on Friday. Atmos Energy has a 52-week low of $149.98 and a 52-week high of $192.51. The company has a fifty day moving average of $185.68 and a 200-day moving average of $176.72. The company has a market capitalization of $31.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.52, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The utilities provider reported $2.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 25.67%.The business had revenue of $1.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.21 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.23 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.150-8.350 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Atmos Energy will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Garner Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 85.9% during the 4th 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 period. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

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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