Atmos Energy Corp (ATO) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Record EPS Growth and Strategic ...

GuruFocus.com11-08

Earnings Per Share (EPS): $6.83, marking the 22nd consecutive year of EPS growth. Dividend Growth: 40th consecutive year of dividend growth. Capital Investment: Over $2.9 billion in fiscal '24. New ...

Source Link

Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

Comments

We need your insight to fill this gap

Leave a comment

{"i18n":{"language":"en_US"},"isChannel":false,"data":{"share":"https://ttm.financial/m/news/2481145971?lang=en_US&edition=fundamental","thumbnail":"https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/RzRCtfOywDFbNm9A12lz0w--~B/aD01MDA7dz01MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/us.finance.gurufocus/80048faf4a36d2f3d5be53c59a4dcfc1","is_english":true,"pubTime":"2024-11-08 15:19","share_image_url":"https://static.laohu8.com/5f26f4a48f9cb3e29be4d71d3ba8c038","id":"2481145971","market":"us","top_or_hot":-1,"title":"Atmos Energy Corp (ATO) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Record EPS Growth and Strategic ...","media":"GuruFocus.com","content":"<div>\n<p>Earnings Per Share (EPS): $6.83, marking the 22nd consecutive year of EPS growth.\nDividend Growth: 40th consecutive year of dividend growth.\nCapital Investment: Over $2.9 billion in fiscal '24.\nNew ...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://finance.yahoo.com/news/atmos-energy-corp-ato-q4-071959234.html\">Source Link</a>\n\n</div>\n","source":"yahoofinance","html":"<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html>\n<head>\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Type\" content=\"text/html; charset=utf-8\" />\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width,initial-scale=1.0,minimum-scale=1.0,maximum-scale=1.0,user-scalable=no\"/>\n<meta name=\"format-detection\" content=\"telephone=no,email=no,address=no\" />\n<title>Atmos Energy Corp (ATO) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Record EPS Growth and Strategic ...</title>\n<style type=\"text/css\">\na,abbr,acronym,address,applet,article,aside,audio,b,big,blockquote,body,canvas,caption,center,cite,code,dd,del,details,dfn,div,dl,dt,\nem,embed,fieldset,figcaption,figure,footer,form,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6,header,hgroup,html,i,iframe,img,ins,kbd,label,legend,li,mark,menu,nav,\nobject,ol,output,p,pre,q,ruby,s,samp,section,small,span,strike,strong,sub,summary,sup,table,tbody,td,tfoot,th,thead,time,tr,tt,u,ul,var,video{ font:inherit;margin:0;padding:0;vertical-align:baseline;border:0 }\nbody{ font-size:16px; line-height:1.5; color:#999; background:transparent; }\n.wrapper{ overflow:hidden;word-break:break-all;padding:10px; }\nh1,h2{ font-weight:normal; line-height:1.35; margin-bottom:.6em; }\nh3,h4,h5,h6{ line-height:1.35; margin-bottom:1em; }\nh1{ font-size:24px; }\nh2{ font-size:20px; }\nh3{ font-size:18px; }\nh4{ font-size:16px; }\nh5{ font-size:14px; }\nh6{ font-size:12px; }\np,ul,ol,blockquote,dl,table{ margin:1.2em 0; }\nul,ol{ margin-left:2em; }\nul{ list-style:disc; }\nol{ list-style:decimal; }\nli,li p{ margin:10px 0;}\nimg{ max-width:100%;display:block;margin:0 auto 1em; }\nblockquote{ color:#B5B2B1; border-left:3px solid #aaa; padding:1em; }\nstrong,b{font-weight:bold;}\nem,i{font-style:italic;}\ntable{ width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:1px;margin:1em 0;font-size:.9em; }\nth,td{ padding:5px;text-align:left;border:1px solid #aaa; }\nth{ font-weight:bold;background:#5d5d5d; }\n.symbol-link{font-weight:bold;}\n/* header{ border-bottom:1px solid #494756; } */\n.title{ margin:0 0 8px;line-height:1.3;color:#ddd; }\n.meta {color:#5e5c6d;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 .5em; }\na{text-decoration:none; color:#2a4b87;}\n.meta .head { display: inline-block; overflow: hidden}\n.head .h-thumb { width: 30px; height: 30px; margin: 0; padding: 0; border-radius: 50%; float: left;}\n.head .h-content { margin: 0; padding: 0 0 0 9px; float: left;}\n.head .h-name {font-size: 13px; color: #eee; margin: 0;}\n.head .h-time {font-size: 11px; color: #7E829C; margin: 0;line-height: 11px;}\n.small {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.9); -webkit-transform: scale(0.9); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.smaller {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.8); -webkit-transform: scale(0.8); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.bt-text {font-size: 12px;margin: 1.5em 0 0 0}\n.bt-text p {margin: 0}\n</style>\n</head>\n<body>\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<header>\n<h2 class=\"title\">\nAtmos Energy Corp (ATO) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Record EPS Growth and Strategic ...\n</h2>\n\n<h4 class=\"meta\">\n\n\n2024-11-08 15:19 GMT+8&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/atmos-energy-corp-ato-q4-071959234.html><strong>GuruFocus.com</strong></a>\n\n\n</h4>\n\n</header>\n<article>\n<div>\n<p>Earnings Per Share (EPS): $6.83, marking the 22nd consecutive year of EPS growth.\nDividend Growth: 40th consecutive year of dividend growth.\nCapital Investment: Over $2.9 billion in fiscal '24.\nNew ...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://finance.yahoo.com/news/atmos-energy-corp-ato-q4-071959234.html\">Source Link</a>\n\n</div>\n\n\n</article>\n</div>\n</body>\n</html>\n","isBrief":false,"type":0,"news_type":1,"symbol":"ATO","symbol_name":"ATMOS能源公司","start_time":0,"source_url":"https://finance.yahoo.com/news/atmos-energy-corp-ato-q4-071959234.html","article_id":"2481145971","we_media_id":null,"thumbnails":["https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/RzRCtfOywDFbNm9A12lz0w--~B/aD01MDA7dz01MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/us.finance.gurufocus/80048faf4a36d2f3d5be53c59a4dcfc1"],"rights":null,"url":"https://stock-news.laohu8.com/highlight/detail?id=2481145971","pubTimestamp":1731050399,"sourceInfo":{"source_id":"yahoofinance","name":"雅虎金融"},"weMediaInfo":null,"summary":"Earnings Per Share : $6.83, marking the 22nd consecutive year of EPS growth.Dividend Growth: 40th consecutive year of dividend growth.Capital Investment: Over $2.9 billion in fiscal '24.New Customers: Added over 59,000 new residential and commercial customers, with over 46,000 in Texas.Commercial Customer Growth: Added nearly 3,500 new commercial customers, a 19% increase over the prior fiscal year.Industrial Customer Growth: Added 39 industrial customers, expected to consume approximately 8.4 BCF of gas annually.Operating Income Increases: Implemented $376 million in annualized operating income increases.Consolidated O&M Increase: $65 million increase, driven by higher employee-related costs and increased system monitoring.Capital Spending Increase: Increased by 5% or $131 million to $2.9 billion.Rate Base Growth: Increased by approximately 13% to an estimated $19 billion as of September 30th.Fiscal '25 EPS Guidance: $7.05 to $7.25, implying 7.4% growth excluding one-time items.Fiscal","collect":0,"end_time":0,"defaultTopTitle":"yahoo.com","property":["earning"],"viewcount":null,"language":"en","relate_stocks":{"ATO":"ATMOS能源公司"},"translate_title":"Atmos Energy Corp(ATO)2024年第四季度收益看涨期权亮点：创纪录的每股收益增长和战略……","themeId":null,"isJumpTheme":false,"ttsUrl":null,"symbols_score_info":{"ATO":1},"content_text":"Earnings Per Share (EPS): $6.83, marking the 22nd consecutive year of EPS growth.\nDividend Growth: 40th consecutive year of dividend growth.\nCapital Investment: Over $2.9 billion in fiscal '24.\nNew Customers: Added over 59,000 new residential and commercial customers, with over 46,000 in Texas.\nCommercial Customer Growth: Added nearly 3,500 new commercial customers, a 19% increase over the prior fiscal year.\nIndustrial Customer Growth: Added 39 industrial customers, expected to consume approximately 8.4 BCF of gas annually.\nOperating Income Increases: Implemented $376 million in annualized operating income increases.\nConsolidated O&M Increase: $65 million increase, driven by higher employee-related costs and increased system monitoring.\nCapital Spending Increase: Increased by 5% or $131 million to $2.9 billion.\nRate Base Growth: Increased by approximately 13% to an estimated $19 billion as of September 30th.\nFiscal '25 EPS Guidance: $7.05 to $7.25, implying 7.4% growth excluding one-time items.\nFiscal '25 Capital Spending Guidance: Approximately $3.7 billion.\nAnnual Dividend Increase: 8.1% increase over fiscal '24, with an indicated annual dividend of $3.48.\nFive-Year Plan Capital Investment: Approximately $24 billion, supporting rate base growth of 13-15% per year.\nLong-Term Financing: $15 billion of incremental long-term financing planned over five years.\n\n\nWarning! GuruFocus has detected 9 Warning Signs with ATO.\n\nRelease Date: November 07, 2024\nFor the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.\n Positive Points \n\nAtmos Energy Corp (NYSE:ATO) reported earnings per share of $6.83, marking the 22nd consecutive year of earnings per share growth.\nThe company achieved its 40th consecutive year of dividend growth, reflecting strong financial performance.\nAtmos Energy Corp (NYSE:ATO) added over 59,000 new residential and commercial customers in fiscal 2024, with significant growth in Texas.\nThe company completed significant infrastructure projects, including the modernization of natural gas distribution and transmission systems.\nAtmos Energy Corp (NYSE:ATO) has a strong balance sheet with approximately $4.8 billion of available liquidity, supporting future operations and growth.\n\n Negative Points \n\nThe company faces increased operational and maintenance costs, driven by higher employee-related expenses and system monitoring activities.\nAtmos Energy Corp (NYSE:ATO) anticipates a 4% annual increase in operational and maintenance expenses, which could impact future profitability.\nThe company is exposed to market conditions that could affect pricing and spreads, as seen with unplanned maintenance impacting fiscal 2024 results.\nThere is uncertainty regarding future regulatory changes and their potential impact on the company's operations and financial performance.\nThe company plans significant capital investments, which may require substantial financing and could impact debt levels and interest expenses.\n\n Q & A Highlights \nQ: Can you provide clarity on your financing strategy, particularly regarding the $8 billion shelf registration and $1.7 billion ATM program? A: Christopher Forsythe, CFO, explained that Atmos Energy plans to maintain a balanced approach with 50% equity and 50% long-term debt to support their $15 billion financing needs over the next five years. The ATM program will be used to meet equity needs, while long-term debt will help preserve the balance sheet's strength.\nQ: How should we think about interest costs and maintaining the debt-to-capitalization ratio in the five-year plan? A: Forsythe noted that the company is comfortable with its current debt-to-capitalization ratio and will continue to use interest rate hedging to lock in costs when market conditions are favorable. This strategy has been successful in saving money for customers.\nQ: What factors are driving the increased pace of system investment in your five-year plan? A: Kevin Akers, CEO, highlighted robust customer growth, particularly in Texas, as a key driver. The company is investing in infrastructure to meet growing demand and ensure safety and reliability. This includes projects like the completion of Line S2 and the WA Loop.\nQ: With a 13-15% rate base growth, why is the EPS growth guidance only 6-8%? A: Akers stated that the company takes a conservative approach to its guidance, considering global and economic uncertainties. Forsythe added that increased O&M costs, now projected at 4% annually, also impact EPS growth relative to rate base growth.\nQ: How are you approaching the Waha spread benefits in your 2025 guidance? A: Akers mentioned that the company expects spreads to normalize and will approach future operations on a normalized basis, focusing on off-peak periods for additional opportunities.\nFor the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.This article first appeared on \nGuruFocus.","kind":null,"is_publish_news":true,"is_publish_highlight":false,"is_publish_live":false,"is_publish_wemedia":null,"editions":null,"column":"","sentiment":"1","news_tag":"","news_rank":0,"symbols":[],"gpt_button":1},"commentList":[],"isCommentEnd":true,"newsSizeData":{"likeSize":0,"commentSize":0,"repostSize":0,"favoriteSize":0,"likeStatus":false,"favoriteStatus":false},"APP":{"userAgent":"Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)","isDev":false,"isTTM":true,"deviceId":"web-server-community-laohu8-v3","version":"4.29.1","shortVersion":"4.29.1","platform":"web","vendor":"web","appName":"ttm","isIOS":false,"isAndroid":false,"isTiger":false,"isTHS":false,"isWeiXin":false,"isWeiXinMini":false,"isWeiBo":false,"isQQ":false,"isBaiduSwan":false,"isBaiduBox":false,"isDingTalk":false,"isToutiao":false,"isOnePlus":false,"isHuaWei":false,"isXiaomi":false,"isXiaomiWebView":false,"isOppo":false,"isVivo":false,"isSamsung":false,"isMobile":false},"href":"/m/news/2481145971"}