<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of &#34;Hold&#34; by the fourteen research firms that are  covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one  has given a strong buy rating to  the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $172.2222.</p><ul><li>Shield Your Portfolio From Aug. 1 Tariffs With This Low-Vol ETF</li></ul><p>Several research firms have weighed in on ATO. Zacks Research raised shares of Atmos Energy to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Bank of America  reissued a &#34;neutral&#34; rating and set a $185.00 price objective (up from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley  reissued an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating and issued a $172.00 target price (down from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Barclays  set a $175.00 target price on Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Argus  set a $172.00 price target on Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 18th.</p><p><b>Get Our Latest Stock Report on ATO</b></p><h2>Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.3%</h2><p>Atmos Energy stock opened at $167.21 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy has a 1-year low of $136.16 and a 1-year high of $180.65. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $173.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $165.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.32, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.75. </p><p>Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $737.48 million during the quarter. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.07% and a net margin of 25.49%. Equities research analysts forecast that  Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Atmos Energy Increases Dividend</h2><p>The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Investors of record on Monday, November 24th were given a $1.00 dividend. This is an increase from Atmos Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is currently 53.40%. </p><h2>Insiders Place Their Bets</h2><p>In other Atmos Energy news, Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.15, for a total transaction of $77,017.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 877 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $150,098.55. This trade represents a 33.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own  0.48% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy</h2><p>Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in  Atmos Energy by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,086 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $325,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period.  MassMutual Private Wealth &amp; Trust FSB grew its stake in shares of  Atmos Energy by 30.4% in the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth &amp; Trust FSB now owns 279 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter.  Little House Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of  Atmos Energy by 0.6% during the third quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 10,733 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,833,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period.  PAX Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of  Atmos Energy by 2.3% during the third quarter. PAX Financial Group LLC now owns 3,178 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $543,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter.  Finally, Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of  Atmos Energy by 8.9% during the third quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 868 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $148,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. </p><h2>About Atmos Energy</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>Atmos Energy Corporation <span>NYSE: ATO<span></span></span> 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.  </p><p>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.</p><h2>Further Reading</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Atmos Energy</li><li>Do not delete, read immediately</li><li>INVESTOR ALERT: Tiny “$3 AI Wonder Stock” on the Verge of Blasting Off</li><li>Buffett, Gates and Bezos Quietly Dumping Stocks—Here's Why</li><li>Can Any Expenses Be Deducted From Capital Gains Tax?</li><li>The Last Gold Bull Market </li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/RatingsChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPUFUTw?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="600" height="385" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/RatingsChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPUFUTw"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Atmos Energy Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Atmos Energy, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Atmos Energy wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Atmos Energy currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) has received a consensus "Hold" rating from fourteen research firms. The average 12-month target price is $172.22. Recent ratings include a "neutral" from Bank of America and "equal weight" from Morgan Stanley. The stock opened at $167.21, with a market cap of $27.04 billion. Atmos Energy increased its quarterly dividend to $1.00, yielding 2.4%. Insiders and institutional investors have adjusted their positions in the company.</p>

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts