Earnings estimates for Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) for fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2020 are likely to improve 8% and 6.76% on a year-over-year basis to $4.32 and $4.61 per share, respectively. Revenue estimates for fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2020 are likely to increase 53.77% and 8.31% on a year-over-year basis to $3.42 billion and $3.71 billion, respectively.
Let’s focus on the factors that make Atmos Energyan appropriate investment option at the moment.
Zacks Rank & VGM Score
Atmos Energycurrently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The stock has an impressive VGM Score of B. Here V stands for Value, G for Growth and M for Momentum with the score being a weighted combination of all three factors. Back tested results show that stocks with a favorable VGM Score of A or B coupled with a bullish Zacks Rank are the best investment options.
Earnings Surprise History & Long-Term Growth
The company’s average four-quarter positive earnings surprise is 4.26%.
The company’s long-term (three to five years) earnings growth is pegged at 6.50%.
Price Movement
In the past 12 months, Atmos Energy’s shares have gained 18.8% compared with the industry’s rise of 8.4%.
Dividend Growth & Dividend Yield
On Nov 7, 2018, the board of directors approved 8.2% increase in annual dividend, marking the 35th consecutive year of dividend hike that indicatesconsistent performance.
Currently, the company has a dividend yield of 1.99% compared with the Zacks S&P 500 composite’s 1.94%.
Other Key Picks
Some other top-ranked stocks from the same industry are ONEOK, Inc (NYSE:OKE) , ONE Gas, Inc (NYSE:OGS) and Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN) , each holding a Zacks Rank of 2.
ONEOK pulled off an average positive earnings surprise of 3.17% in the last four quarters. The company’s long-term earnings growth is pegged at 11.30%.
ONE Gas pulled off an average positive earnings surprise of 8.29% in the last four quarters. The company’s long-term earnings growth is pegged at 5.90%.
Earnings Estimates for 2019 for Northwest Natural Gas moved up 4.4% to $2.37 per share in the past 60 days. The company’s long-term earnings growth is pegged at 4.50%
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Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO): Free Stock Analysis Report
Northwest Natural Gas Company (NWN): Free Stock Analysis Report
ONE Gas, Inc. (OGS): Free Stock Analysis Report
ONEOK, Inc. (OKE): Free Stock Analysis Report
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