Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Price Target Raised to $182.00

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) had its price target upped by Morgan Stanley from $179.00 to $182.00 in a report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Argus restated a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $183.27.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $172.49 on Wednesday. Atmos Energy has a 52 week low of $154.72 and a 52 week high of $192.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.70, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $172.55. 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) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $900.82 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.67%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director William Ware bought 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director 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 acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,624,975,000. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,608,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 474.7% in the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 5,971 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $934,000 after purchasing an additional 4,932 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $720,212,000. Finally, Opal Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $6,154,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

About Atmos Energy

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.