Atmos Energy Corporation ATO posted third-quarter fiscal 2020 earnings of 79 cents per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 76 cents by 3.9%.The reported earnings also improved 16.2% from the prior-year figure. The year-over-year improvement in earnings was due to positive rate outcomes in both the segments, and lower operation and maintenance expenses in the distribution segment.Total RevenuesTotal revenues of $492.9 million missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $621 million by 20.6%. However, the top line increased 1.5% from the year-ago figure of $485.8 million.Atmos Energy Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Atmos Energy Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Atmos Energy Corporation QuoteSegment RevenuesDistribution: Revenues from the segment decreased 2.2% to $435.3 million from $444.9 million in the prior-year quarter.Pipeline and Storage: Revenues from the segment increased 5.9% to $158 million from $149.2 million in the year-ago quarter. The improvement was driven by an increase in rates, marginally offset by a rise in depreciation expenses.Quarterly HighlightsPurchased gas cost in the quarter was $26.1 million, down 16.6% from the year-ago period. Operation and maintenance expenses for the quarter were $149.5 million, down 9.1% from the year-ago period.Operating income for the reported quarter was up 13.8% year over year to $139.1 million.The company incurred interest expenses of $19.6 million, on par with the year-ago period.Financial HighlightsAs of Jun 30, 2020, Atmos Energy had cash and cash equivalents of $208.6 million compared with $24.6 million on Sep 30, 2019.Long-term debt was $4.53 billion as of Jun 30, 2020, up from $3.53 billion on Sep 30, 2019.The company’s cash flow from operating activities for the first nine months of fiscal 2020 was $895.5 million, up from $808.9 million recorded in the comparable year-ago period.It invested $1,405.7 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 to strengthen operations. The figure was up 17% from the year-ago period. Nearly 88% of the capital spending was related to system safety and increased reliability of its services.GuidanceAtmos Energy reiterated its fiscal 2020 earnings guidance in the range of $4.58-$4.73 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2020 earnings is $4.69 per share. Capital expenditure view also remains unchanged and is expected in the range of $1.85-$1.95 billion for fiscal 2020.Zacks RankAtmos Energy currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Other ReleasesPlains All American Pipeline PAA posted second-quarter 2020 operating earnings of 25 cents per unit, which lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 10.7%.Sempra Energy’s SRE second-quarter 2020 adjusted earnings per share came in at $1.65, lagging the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.66 by 0.6%.ONEOK Inc. OKE posted second-quarter 2020 operating earnings of 32 cents per share, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 50 cents by 36%.More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2021.Click here for the 6 trades >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Sempra Energy (SRE): Free Stock Analysis Report Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (PAA): Free Stock Analysis Report ONEOK, Inc. (OKE): Free Stock Analysis Report Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research