Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.03 EPS

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The utilities provider reported $2.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.03, FiscalAI reports. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.67% and a return on equity of 9.36%. The company had revenue of $1.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.21 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.23 EPS. Atmos Energy updated its FY 2026 guidance to 8.150-8.350 EPS.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO traded up $0.33 on Thursday, reaching $172.16. The stock had a trading volume of 70,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,534,056. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $27.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.75. Atmos Energy has a fifty-two week low of $140.85 and a fifty-two week high of $180.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $168.62 and a 200-day moving average of $168.59.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 51.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.15, for a total value of $77,017.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 877 shares in the company, valued at $150,098.55. This trade represents a 33.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter worth $3,771,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at about $325,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 6.1% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,250 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $726,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 203.3% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 276 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $66,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on ATO. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $159.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $165.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $174.33.

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.