Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

ATO has been the subject of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Atmos Energy from $179.00 to $174.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $201.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday. Finally, Argus restated a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $183.36.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 1.0%

Atmos Energy stock opened at $173.28 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $164.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $174.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Atmos Energy has a one year low of $154.72 and a one year high of $192.51. The company has a market capitalization of $29.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.56.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $837.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $873.77 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.67%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.07 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Atmos Energy will post 9.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Atmos Energy news, Director William Ware acquired 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,783.92. This trade represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the second quarter worth $2,624,975,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 11.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,199,433 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $775,719,000 after buying an additional 416,933 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $431,677,000. Amundi lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 40.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,823,714 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $314,171,000 after buying an additional 520,828 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth about $276,558,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Key Atmos Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Atmos Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterated its Overweight rating and set a $201 price target, about 16% above the cited share price—an endorsement that may support investor sentiment. Wells Fargo rating
• Positive Sentiment: Atmos reported fiscal Q4 EPS of $1.17, beating the $1.14 consensus and rising from $1.07 a year earlier. Coverage attributed the beat to higher rates and operating strength. Q4 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: The company plans $29 billion in capital spending over five years and is targeting 6%–8% EPS growth from the fiscal 2027 midpoint, signaling continued infrastructure investment and earnings growth ambitions. Five-year investment plan
• Positive Sentiment: Atmos raised its quarterly dividend 9%, from $1.00 to $1.09 per share, indicating a higher shareholder payout. Dividend increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Fiscal Q4 revenue was $837 million, below analyst expectations of roughly $874 million. The earnings beat was therefore not matched by revenue. Quarterly results

About Atmos Energy