Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO) - What Are Investment Firms Saying About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analysts have a cautious outlook: Atmos Energy carries a consensus “Hold” rating from 13 firms, with 10 holds and three buys. The average 12-month price target is $183, while several firms recently reduced their targets.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 90.17%, with several investment firms modestly increasing their stakes. Director William Ware also purchased 300 shares, although insiders own just 0.43% of the company.
• Atmos Energy recently beat quarterly EPS estimates, reporting $1.43 versus expectations of $1.35, and guided to fiscal 2026 EPS of $8.40–$8.50. The company pays a $4.00 annualized dividend, yielding about 2.4%.

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $183.00.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $179.00 to $174.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Argus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective (down from $198.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, September 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 1st.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director William Ware purchased 300 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 488 shares of the company's stock, valued at $81,783.92. The trade was a 159.57% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Compound Planning Inc. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.7% in the first quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,716 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.8% in the first quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 8,153 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,506,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 39.1% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 6.3% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,119 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $193,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amarillo National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.3% during the first quarter. Amarillo National Bank now owns 28,641 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,291,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $164.65 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy has a twelve month low of $154.72 and a twelve month high of $192.51. The firm has a market cap of $27.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.60, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50 day moving average of $164.00 and a 200 day moving average of $172.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%. The business had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $900.82 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.62%.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation NYSE: ATO is a regulated natural gas utility that distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers. The company also operates natural gas pipeline and storage assets, supporting the transportation and management of gas within its service areas.

Atmos Energy serves more than 3 million distribution customers across eight states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Kansas and Colorado. Its distribution operations include a large network of natural gas pipelines and related infrastructure, while its pipeline and storage business provides transportation and storage services primarily in Texas and Mississippi.

The company traces its history to 1906 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

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.