Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) reached a new 52-week low on Thursday. The stock traded as low as $155.00 and last traded at $156.1780, with a volume of 1060377 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $157.34.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho dropped their target price on Atmos Energy from $192.00 to $184.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Argus reduced their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $185.09.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $168.59 and a 200 day moving average of $175.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.69, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.60.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $900.82 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 47.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director William Ware bought 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 488 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ATO. QRG Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $10,387,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 504.9% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 7,815 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,346,000 after purchasing an additional 6,523 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 176.7% during the 2nd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 22,612 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,895,000 after purchasing an additional 14,440 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 163.5% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 42,632 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,344,000 after purchasing an additional 26,454 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 2.4% during the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 250,465 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $43,148,000 after purchasing an additional 5,778 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) is a regulated natural gas distribution and pipeline company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Through its utility operations, the company delivers natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers, with services focused on safe and reliable energy delivery.

Atmos Energy serves customers across eight states: Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Its operations include local natural gas distribution as well as pipeline transportation and storage activities, primarily through its Atmos Pipeline-Texas business.

The company traces its roots to 1906 and has expanded over time through growth and acquisitions in the natural gas industry.