Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $181.50.

Several analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $183.00 price objective on Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings cut Atmos Energy from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays boosted their target price on Atmos Energy from $167.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on Atmos Energy from $195.00 to $187.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 18th.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 1.8%

ATO opened at $173.15 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $183.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $177.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market cap of $28.90 billion, a PE ratio of 21.27, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.65. Atmos Energy has a 52 week low of $149.98 and a 52 week high of $192.51.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $3.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.59% and a net margin of 27.58%.During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.03 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 8.44 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 26th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is presently 49.14%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Garner Asset Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 85.9% in the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 270.2% in the 4th quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 174 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

About Atmos Energy

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.