Seaport Res Ptn Boosts Earnings Estimates for Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Seaport Res Ptn raised their FY2025 earnings estimates for shares of Atmos Energy in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, January 6th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst A. Storozynski now anticipates that the utilities provider will earn $7.23 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $7.16. The consensus estimate for Atmos Energy's current full-year earnings is $7.14 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Atmos Energy's FY2026 earnings at $7.79 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $8.38 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $8.97 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on ATO. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded up $0.14 on Tuesday, hitting $136.65. 611,946 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 729,237. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company's 50 day moving average price is $142.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $134.63. Atmos Energy has a one year low of $110.46 and a one year high of $152.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.89, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.71.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. This is an increase from Atmos Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is presently 50.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ATO. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 7.2% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 23,632 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,757,000 after purchasing an additional 1,581 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 24.4% in the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 41,464 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,809,000 after purchasing an additional 8,144 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 4.3% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 178,001 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $20,764,000 after buying an additional 7,301 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 18.3% during the 2nd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,466 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $988,000 after acquiring an additional 1,312 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.9% during the second quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 20,169 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,353,000 after purchasing an additional 936 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the regulated natural gas distribution, and pipeline and storage businesses in the United States. It operates through two segments, Distribution, and Pipeline and Storage. The Distribution segment is involved in the regulated natural gas distribution and related sales operations in eight states.