ZYBERNO
Stock Report
Updated Aug 28, 2026

Atmos Energy Corp (ATO)

Utilities • NYSE

$167.22
Atmos Energy Corporation is an American natural gas distribution company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and the largest pure-play natural gas distributor in the United States. The company distributes natural gas through its regulated utility operations in eight states primarily in the South and Midwest, serving approximately 3.3 million residential, commercial, public authority, and industrial natural gas customers in communities including Dallas, Houston, Austin, and Nashville.

Professional Investment Analysis

ZYBERNO SCORE
Is it a great business? Is it getting better?
44.0/100
WEAK BUSINESS
Atmos Energy Corp (ATO) scores 44/100 — weak fundamentals with mixed indicators requiring careful analysis before acting.
📊 How is the Zyberno Score calculated? +
VALUATION SIGNAL
MARGIN OF SAFETY
Is this stock cheap or expensive relative to what the business has historically generated for owners?
-100.0%
Overvalued
Is the market underestimating or overestimating what this business is capable of going forward?
0.0%
Fairly Priced
↑ UNDER
+50%
Brina Gap
-50%
↓ OVER
← OVERVALUED
-100%
Margin of Safety
UNDERVALUED →
+100%
UNDERESTIMATED
GROWTH
DOUBLE
DISCOUNT
EXPENSIVE
HYPE
VALUE
TRAP
0,0
MoS -100.0%  ·  Gap 0.0%

Two independent signals. One tells you if the stock is cheap relative to what the business has historically generated for owners — the Margin of Safety. The other tells you if the market is underestimating what the business is capable of going forward — the Brina Gap.

They are calculated from completely different data sources and answer completely different questions. The Margin of Safety reads the past. The Brina Gap reads the present economics and compares them against what the current stock price is assuming about the future.

When both point in the same direction simultaneously — DOUBLE DISCOUNT — the probability of genuine mispricing is high. The market is wrong on two independent dimensions at once, which is rare and significant.

The most dangerous scenario is not an overvalued stock — those are easy to avoid. It is a VALUE TRAP: a stock that appears cheap historically but where the market is already pricing in stronger growth than the business fundamentals support. Without the Brina Gap signal this looks identical to a genuine opportunity. The matrix separates them instantly.

The Brina Gap is the more powerful of the two signals. Most investors and analytical tools focus on valuation alone — whether a stock is cheap relative to earnings. Far fewer systematically compare what the business economics structurally support against what the stock price is actually assuming. That gap between fundamental growth potential and market expectations is where the most reliable mispricings live, and where this matrix earns its value.

Use this as your first filter. A stock in DOUBLE DISCOUNT territory is worth investigating. Everything else requires either more caution or a specific reason to act.

OVERPRICED
Atmos Energy Corp (ATO) is expensive relative to historical cash generation (Margin of Safety -100.0%) with no forward growth catalyst identified (Brina Gap 0.0%).
Significant divergence between Owner Earnings and Free Cash Flow (1.81×). Intrinsic Value and Brina Gap are likely overstated — acquisition-related D&A is inflating Owner Earnings. Verify earnings quality before acting.
🎯 Expected Annual Return
-19.2%
Margin of Safety convergence — your return if the market re-prices to intrinsic value (5-yr annualised)
11.0%
Brina Gap convergence — your return if the market corrects the growth mispricing the Gap measures
15.8%
Yield + growth — what the business alone earns you, even if the market never re-rates
💰 How is Margin of Safety calculated? +
📈 How is Brina Gap calculated? +

Critical Financial Health Indicators

Return on Equity (Profitability):POOR (9.7%)
Debt-to-Equity (Solvency Risk):AVERAGE (0.70x)
Operating Margin (Operational Efficiency):EXCELLENT (37.0%)
Return on Capital (Capital Efficiency):POOR (5.7%)
📊 Valuation Trilogy
Three interconnected metrics for complete valuation analysis
Click any metric for full methodology and detailed analysis
Zyberno's Verdict

According to Zyberno, Atmos Energy Corp (ATO) is not a buy — WEAK BUSINESS (44/100) with a negative Margin of Safety of -100.0% and a Brina Gap of 0.0% showing the market already prices in more growth than the fundamentals support.

According to Zyberno's DCF model, Atmos Energy Corp (ATO) trades at $167.22 against an estimated intrinsic value per share of $74.53 — a -100.0% Margin of Safety based on Owner Earnings of $1.33B TTM, projected at -5.0% growth for 10 years with a 2.5% terminal growth rate. The Brina Gap of 0.0% weakens the case: based on the company's ROIC (5.7%) and reinvestment rate (194.2%), the business can fundamentally grow at 11.1% — but the current enterprise value implies the market expects 11.1%. This places ATO in the Expensive Hype quadrant of the Brina Matrix, the most fragile combination — overvalued on cash AND overpriced on growth. Zyberno's model translates this into a 5-year expected return of -19.2% annually.

Over the trailing twelve months, ATO generated $1.33B in Owner Earnings. Capital was deployed as follows: $639.76M paid as dividends, $3.87B invested in capital expenditures. Reinvestment rate: 194.2%. Owner Earnings have declined at 5.0% annually over the trailing five years using log-linear regression.

DIVISION I: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A. Market Valuation

Market Price & Capitalization (2)

Current Price:167.22
Market Cap:$28.15B

Valuation Multiples (4)

P/B Ratio:1.84x
P/S Ratio:5.72x
Peg Ratio:1.27x

Enterprise Metrics (2)

Enterprise Value:$38.39B
Ev Ebitda Ratio:14.78x

Price Action & Momentum (3)

Momentum Percentile:58 / 100
% of 52-Week High:86.9%
B. Profitability Assessment

Return Metrics (7)

ROA:4.7%
Reinvestment Rate:194.2%
Fundamental Growth Rate (g):11.1%
Market-Implied Growth Rate:11.1%

Margin Analysis (3)

Operating Margin Ttm:37.0%
Net Margin Ttm:28.5%
Ebitda Margin:52.8%

TTM Performance (2)

Operating Margin Ttm:37.0%
Net Margin Ttm:28.5%

Yield Metrics (3)

Earnings Yield:$5.01
Owner Earnings Yield:$4.71
Dividend Yield:2.3%
C. Log-Linear Regression Growth Trends

Earnings Surprise (SUE) (3)

EPS Surprise vs Expected:7.3%
Latest Earnings Filed:2026-08-05

Revenue Growth (Linear) (1)

Revenue Growth Rate (Linear):6.1%

Earnings Growth (Linear) (1)

Net Income Growth Rate (Linear):23.8%

Cash Flow Growth (Linear) (2)

Free Cash Flow Growth Rate (Linear):-23.1%
Operating Cash Flow Growth Rate (Linear):12.3%

Operating Growth (Linear) (1)

Operating Income Growth Rate (Linear):24.7%
D. Financial Stability

Liquidity Ratios (3)

Current Ratio:0.81x
Quick Ratio:0.81x
Cash Ratio:0.28x

Leverage Analysis (3)

Debt To Equity Ttm:0.70x
Debt-to-Equity Ratio:0.70x
Debt To Ebitda:4.14x

Coverage Ratios (2)

Interest Coverage Ratio:10.95x
Times Interest Earned:10.95

Capital Structure (4)

Working Capital:-343,532,000.00
Cash And Cash Equivalents:520,953,000.00
Long Term Debt:$10.33B
Net Debt:$10.24B
DIVISION II: FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ANALYSIS
A. Income Statement Analysis

Revenue Components (2)

Revenue TTM: $4.92B
Linear Growth: 6.1%
📊 Click to view full ATO Revenue analysis & methodology →
Cost Of Revenue Ttm:$1.45B

Profitability Breakdown (2)

Gross profit TTM: $3.25B
Linear Growth: 14.7%
📊 Click to view full ATO Gross Profit analysis & methodology →
Operating income TTM: $1.82B
Linear Growth: 24.7%
📊 Click to view full ATO Operating Income analysis & methodology →

Bottom Line Performance (3)

Net income TTM: $1.40B
Linear Growth: 23.8%
📊 Click to view full ATO Net Income analysis & methodology →
Income Before Tax:$1.75B
Ebitda Ttm:2,596,996,000.00

Operating Expenses (5)

Operating Expenses:0.00
R And D Expense:0.00
Sga Expense:0.00
Income Tax Expense:$351.13M
Interest Expense:142,490,000.00

Expense Ratios (3)

R And D To Revenue Percentage:0.0%
Sga To Revenue Percentage:0.0%
Ebitda Margin:52.8%
B. Balance Sheet Analysis

Asset Composition (5)

Total Assets:$31.59B
Current Assets:$1.50B
Ppe Net:0.00
Goodwill:731,257,000.00
Intangible Assets:$68.03M

Liability Structure (4)

Total Liabilities:16,327,481,000.00
Current Liabilities:1,844,375,000.00
Long Term Debt:$10.33B
Short Term Debt:$436.66M

Equity & Capital (3)

Equity:$15.26B
Retained Earnings:$5.59B
Common Stock:400,000,000.00

Working Capital Items (3)

Accounts Receivable:469,455,000.00
Inventory:0.00
Accounts Payable:436,664,000.00

Special Items (2)

Contract Liabilities:56,185,000.00
Stock Based Compensation:12,731,000.00
C. Cash Flow Analysis

Operating Activities (2)

Operating cash flow TTM: $2.08B
Linear Growth: 12.3%
Free cash flow TTM: -$1.79B
Linear Growth: -23.1%
📊 Click to view full ATO Free Cash Flow analysis & methodology →

Investment Activities (2)

Investing Cash Flow:-$1.04B
Capital Expenditures Ttm:3,867,478,000.00

Financing Activities (3)

Financing Cash Flow:$895.29M
Dividends Paid Ttm:639,758,000.00
Stock Repurchase:0.00

Capital Transactions (3)

Common Stock Issuance:472,009,000.00
Long Term Debt Issuance:$596.53M
Long Term Debt Repayments:$10.00M

Non-Cash Items (1)

Depreciation Amortization Ttm:777,529,000.00
DIVISION III: OPERATIONAL METRICS
A. Per Share Analysis

Earnings Per Share (3)

EPS (Basic TTM):8.48
Eps diluted TTM: $8.38
Linear Growth: 19.0%
📊 Click to view full ATO EPS analysis & methodology →
Earnings Per Share Ttm:$8.33

Revenue & Cash Per Share (2)

Sales Per Share Ttm:29.23
Operating Cash Flow Per Share:$12.17

Book Value & Capital (2)

Book Value Per Share:$90.64
Cash Per Share:3.09

Dividend Policy (1)

Dividend Payout Ratio:39.49x
B. Operational Efficiency

Asset Utilization (2)

Asset Turnover Ttm:0.16x
Working Capital Turnover Ttm:-999.00x

Receivables Management (2)

Receivables Turnover Ttm:10.48x
Days Sales Outstanding Ttm:34.82

Inventory Management (2)

Inventory Turnover Ttm:-999.00x
Days Inventory Outstanding Ttm:-999.00

Payables & Cash Cycle (2)

Days Payable Outstanding:109.75
Cash Conversion Cycle:-1,073.94
C. Quality & Risk Metrics

Financial Quality Scores (2)

Financial Strength Score:0.00
Quality Score:75.00

Market Metrics (2)

Beta:0.00x
Volatility Category:unknown
DIVISION IV: INVESTMENT ANALYSIS
A. Value Investment Framework

Owner Earnings Analysis (3)

Owner earnings TTM: $1.33B
Linear Growth: -5.0%
📊 Click to view full ATO Owner Earnings analysis & methodology →
Owner Earnings Per Share:$7.88
Owner Earnings Yield:$4.71

Growth Assessment (1)

Owner Earnings Growth Rate:-$5.01

Damodaran Growth Analysis (4)

Reinvestment Rate:194.2%
Fundamental Growth Rate (g):11.1%
Market-Implied Growth Rate:11.1%

Intrinsic Value Models (1)

Return Scenarios (2)

Investment Assessment (1)

Buffett Assessment:Overvalued
B. Log-Linear Regression Growth Analysis

Growth Rates (Log-Linear Regression) (3)

Revenue Growth Rate (Linear):6.1%
Net Income Growth Rate (Linear):23.8%
Operating Income Growth Rate (Linear):24.7%

Cash Flow Growth Rates (2)

Free Cash Flow Growth Rate (Linear):-23.1%
Operating Cash Flow Growth Rate (Linear):12.3%

Other Growth Rates (3)

Gross Profit Growth Rate (Linear):14.7%
Book Value Growth Rate (Linear):13.1%
Owner Earnings Growth Rate:-$5.01
C. Company Profile & Context

Corporate Information (6)

Symbol:ATO
Company Name:Atmos Energy Corp
Sector:Utilities
Industry:Utilities
Exchange:NYSE
Country:United States

Market Classification (3)

Market Cap Category:N/A
Price Category:high
Volume Category:N/A

Share Structure (3)

Shares Outstanding:168.35M
Shares Outstanding Basic:168.35M
Shares Outstanding Diluted:169.37M

Data Processing Info (3)

Processing Version:v3.0
Last Updated:2026-08-28 20:50:27 UTC
Data Timestamp:2026-08-28T20:50:27.712153
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