Atmos Energy Corporation’s (ATO) strategic investment plans should further increase the safety and reliability of natural gas pipelines, distribution and transportation systems and drive its performance. Given its growth opportunities, ATO is a solid investment option in the utility sector.Let’s focus on the factors that make this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company a strong investment pick at the moment.Growth Projections & Surprise HistoryThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2024 earnings per share (EPS) has i ...

Concerns over inflation and fears of interest rate hikes came back, haunting investors on May 22 after the minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) Apr 30-May 1 policy meeting were released.The minutes revealed that the Federal Reserve remains concerned over rising inflation, which created panic among investors, leading to a massive selloff. All three major indexes that were on a rally retreated sharply, with the Dow recording its worst session in May, after hitting an all-time high last week.T ...

It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both.Featuring daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, the research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor.Zacks Premium also includes the Zacks Style Scores.What are t ...

Some major U.S. stocks closed slightly lower on May 16, after starting the day at a record high level, as investors’ enthusiasm around interest rate cut expectations and a slowdown in inflation data dissipated during the course of the day.    In such a situation, we recommend stocks like Vital Farms (VITL) , Pathward Financial (CASH) , Atmos Energy (ATO) , Sprouts Farmer Market (SFM) and Hamilton Insurance Group (HG) , which bear low leverage. Choosing them can shield investors from incurring huge losses in ...

An ill-informed investor can lose cash if he wagers on a stock only on the basis of the numbers flashing on a real-time stock screen. A critical analysis of a company’s financial background is a must for a better investment decision, especially at a time when the stock market is juggling myriad issues.Often, investors evaluate a company’s performance by simply looking at its sales and earnings, which sometimes do not reveal the real picture. To be more precise, they do not tell whether a company’s fundament ...

Growth investors focus on stocks that are seeing above-average financial growth, as this feature helps these securities garner the market's attention and deliver solid returns. But finding a growth stock that can live up to its true potential can be a tough task.That's because, these stocks usually carry above-average risk and volatility. In fact, betting on a stock for which the growth story is actually over or nearing its end could lead to significant loss.However, the task of finding cutting-edge growth ...

It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both.The research service features daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, all of which will help you become a smarter, more confident investor.Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Sc ...

The sentiment of American consumers on the economy has plunged in May. On May 10, the University of Michigan reported that the preliminary index of consumer sentiment tumbled to a reading of 67.4%. The consensus estimate was 76%. The final reading of April was also revised downward to 77.2% from 77.9%, as reported earlier.May’s preliminary reading marks a 12.7% decline in month over month. The primary reason for this decline was a sharp increase in consumers’ expectations for the inflation rate.The outlook ...

It’s been almost a month since big banks kicked off the Q1 earnings season which has seen modest growth with JPMorgan (JPM)  and Wells Fargo (WFC)  contributing in this regard. Outside of JPMorgan and Wells Fargo making headlines, tech stocks have largely upheld the earnings growth for the period thanks to the Magnificent Seven in particular.  That said, several stocks from a variety of sectors are starting to stand out after posting strong EPS growth for the quarter and beating earnings expectations on Wed ...

财务数据和关键指标变化 - 公司前6个月的净收益为7.43亿美元,每股收益4.93美元,同比增长12% [7][24] - 营业收入增加28%,达9.5亿美元 [24] - 费率调整带来1.92亿美元的收益增加 [25] - 客户增长和工业用气量增加带来1.2亿美元的收益增加 [25] - 管道和储存业务收入增加800万美元,主要由于Waha Header和输送点之间价差扩大 [26][27] - 运营费用下降1300万美元,主要由于在密西西比州计提的一次性坏账准备调整 [28] - 得益于税收立法变化,营业收入增加约1500万美元,相当于每股0.07美元 [28] 各条业务线数据和关键指标变化 - 天然气分销业务客户增长强劲,12个月内新增5.6万客户,其中4.3万在德克萨斯州 [8] - 德克萨斯州新房开工量同比增长44.7% [8] - 德克萨斯州就业人数创新高,达1410万人 [9] - 工业用气需求保持强劲,二季度新增11个工业客户,年用气量约1十亿立方英尺 [10][11] - 商业客户增长也保持良好,二季度新增900个客户,全年新增2000个 [13] 各个市场数据和关键指标变化 - 德克萨斯州就业人数创新高,同比增长2% [9] - 德克萨斯州新房开工量同比增长44.7% [8] 公司战略和发展方向及行业竞争 - 公司持续推进管道系统的安全性、可靠性和多样性提升项目,支持当地分销公司的持续增长 [14][15][16] - 公司获得美国客户满意度指数第一名,连续两年获得"美国最值得信赖公司"称号,并入选"卓越1000指数" [19] - 公司连续4年入选"美国最佳中型雇主"榜单,并在公用事业行业排名第一 [20][21] 管理层对经营环境和未来前景的评论 - 公司预计2024财年每股收益在6.70-6.80美元之间,较之前指引上调 [7][32] - 2024财年剩余部分每股收益将较为均衡地体现 [32] - 2025财年每股收益预计将在调整后基础上增长6%-8% [33] - 客户增长和用气量增加超出预期,管道输送价差也高于预期 [35][36] - 运营费用将有所增加,主要用于提升系统安全性和可靠性 [37][38] - 资本支出指引从约29亿美元上调至约31亿美元,以提升分销和输送系统的抗灾能力 [38][39] 问答环节重要的提问和回答 问题1 **Richard Sunderland 提问** 请进一步说明2024财年指引调整中,非经常性项目的具体影响金额,以及将在2025财年指引中剔除这些影响 [44][45] **Kevin Akers 回答** 德克萨斯州税收优惠影响约0.10-0.11美元,密西西比州坏账准备调整影响约0.07美元。在2025财年指引中,公司将剔除这两项非经常性影响,以此为基础给出6%-8%的增长预期 [45] 问题2 **Christopher Jeffrey 提问** 2024财年资本支出指引上调的具体原因是什么,各业务板块的变化情况如何 [53][54][57] **Kevin Akers 回答** 资本支出增加主要用于提升系统的安全性和可靠性,包括管道维修等项目。具体的分布情况将在今年10-11月的2025财年指引中进一步说明 [57]