Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Hits New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $188.80 and last traded at $188.13, with a volume of 201054 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $184.30.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on ATO. UBS Group lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $159.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Mizuho boosted 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. Zacks Research raised Atmos Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $165.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $175.67.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $31.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.13. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $174.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $172.02.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The utilities provider reported $2.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.21 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.67% and a return on equity of 9.20%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.23 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.150-8.350 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 51.95%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Garner Asset Management Corp bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth about $29,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

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.