Atmos Energy Corporation ATO is currently gaining from huge investments made in improving the reliability of its services, new rates and customer growth. This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) utility stock remains a potential bet for investors to take a look at.Let’s delve deeper into the factors that make Atmos Energy a profitable pick for greater returns.Upbeat Growth Estimates: The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2020 earnings per share is pegged at $4.67 on $3.50 billion revenues. Both the top and the bottom line are expected to rise year over year, indicating a 20.56% and 7.36% increase, respectively from the year-ago reported figures.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2021 earnings per share is pegged at $5.02 on $3.68 billion revenues. While the top line implies a 5.13% increase, the bottom line suggests a 7.62% improvement from the year-ago figures.Atmos Energy has an expected long-term earnings (three to five years) per share growth rate of 7.15%.Solid Stock Price Movement: Shares of Atmos Energy have rallied 20.6% in the past 12 months, outperforming the industry’s growth of 17.1%.Northbound Earnings Estimate Revision & Surprise History: The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year and fiscal 2021 earnings has been revised 0.86% and 0.80% upward, respectively, over the past 90 days.Atmos Energy’s trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise is 3.18% on average.Strong Investment Plans: The company has a sturdy capital expenditure policy in place, helping it enhance the safety and reliability profile of its natural gas pipeline. In the last five-year time frame, the company invested $6.4 billion in replacing aging infrastructure and modernizing the system. Its long-term capex plans project investment to the tune of $10-$11 billion over the next five years. This investment will allow Atmos Energy to strengthen its transmission and distribution pipelines and help it reduce methane emissions by 10-15% in the next five years.Dividend Growth: The company’s steady operating performance enabled it to reward its shareholders through a consistent increase in annual dividend rates. It raised annual dividend for 36 consecutive years. The current annual dividend is $2.30 per share, representing a 9.5% rise from fiscal 2019 level.Given the company’s robust spending strategies, addition of customers and increase in consumption, it is expected that the company will continue with the annual dividend-increase policy over the long run.Other Stocks to ConsiderOther top-ranked stocks in the utility sector include Entergy Corporation ETR, NorthWestern Corporation NWE, and Edison International EIX, all holding a Zacks Rank of 2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Entergy Corporation, NorthWestern Corporation, and Edison International delivered a positive earnings surprise in the last four quarters of 4.79%, 10.49% and 0.09%, respectively.Long-term earnings per share growth for Entergy Corporation, NorthWestern Corporation and Edison International is projected at 7%, 3.53% and 5.32% respectively.Just Released: Zacks’ 7 Best Stocks for TodayExperts extracted 7 stocks from the list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys that has beaten the market more than 2X over with a stunning average gain of +24.6% per year.These 7 were selected because of their superior potential for immediate breakout.See these time-sensitive tickers now >>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 Entergy Corporation (ETR): Free Stock Analysis Report Edison International (EIX): Free Stock Analysis Report NorthWestern Corporation (NWE): Free Stock Analysis Report Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research