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

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03, Zacks reports. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.04% and a return on equity of 8.83%. Atmos Energy updated its FY 2025 guidance to 7.050-7.250 EPS.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO traded up $2.74 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $145.14. 12,644 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 871,057. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $141.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $138.11. 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 has a market cap of $22.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.04, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. Atmos Energy has a twelve month low of $110.46 and a twelve month high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.40%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 50.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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, Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

About Atmos Energy

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.