Atmos Energy Corporation ATO posted fourth-quarter fiscal 2021 earnings of 37 cents per share, on par with the Zacks Consensus Estimate.The reported earnings declined 30.2% from the prior-year figure. Despite a rate increase in both the segments, increased depreciation and property tax expenses, timing of system maintenance, and higher employee costs offset the positives.Fiscal 2021 earnings per share were up 8.5% year over year to $5.12.RevenuesTotal revenues of $568 million lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $623 million by 8.7%. Nonetheless, the top line increased 19.6% from the year-ago reported figure due to strong contribution from its Distribution segment.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 increased 21.8% to $523.9 million from $430.2 million in the prior-year quarter. The improvement was driven by an increase in rates and customer growth.Pipeline and Storage: Revenues from the segment increased 2.3% to $160.5 million from $156.9 million in the year-ago quarter.Quarterly HighlightsPurchased gas cost for the quarter was $83.8 million, up 362.9% from the year-ago period. Operation and maintenance expenses for the quarter were $199.5 million, up 10.8% from the year-ago period.Operating income for the reported quarter was down 9.9% year over year to $90.9 million.Atmos Energy incurred interest expenses of $14.5 million, down 6.5% from the year-ago period.Financial HighlightsAs of Sep 30, 2021, Atmos Energy had cash and cash equivalents of $116.7 million compared with $20.8 million on Sep 30, 2020.Long-term debt was $4.93 billion as of Sep 30, 2021, up from $4.53 billion on Sep 30, 2020.Atmos Energy’s cash flow used in/from operating activities for fiscal 2021 was ($1,084.3) million against $1,037.9 million provided in the comparable year-ago period.ATO invested $1,969.5 million in fiscal 2021 to strengthen operations. Nearly 88% of the capital spending was associated with system safety and increased reliability of services.GuidanceAtmos Energy initiated its fiscal 2022 earnings guidance in the range of $5.40-$5.60 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2022 earnings of $5.43 per share is lower than the midpoint of the guided range. It expects capital expenditure in the range of $2.4-$2.5 billion for fiscal 2022.Atmos Energy expects capital expenditure in the range of $13-$14 billion for the fiscal 2022-2026 time period. Atmos Energy expects fiscal 2026 earnings in the range of $7-$7.40 per share. The figure is likely to expand annually by 6-8% in the fiscal 2022-2026 time frame.Zacks RankAtmos Energy currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Other ReleasesNational Fuel Gas Company NFG posted fourth-quarter fiscal 2021 adjusted operating earnings of 95 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 78 cents by 21.8%. Total revenues of $356 million, however, missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $430 million by 17.3%.National Fuel Gas revised its fiscal 2022 earnings guidance to the range of $5.05-$5.45 from the prior expectation of $4.40-$4.80. The new guidance takes into consideration the expected increase in natural gas prices in fiscal 2022. National Fuel Gas returned 45.1% in the past 12 months compared with the industry’s rally of 18.1%.Chesapeake Utilities Corp. CPK posted third-quarter 2021 adjusted operating earnings of 71 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 54 cents by 31.5%. Total revenues of $107 million, however, missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $114 million by 5.8%.Chesapeake Utilities’ capital expenditure guidance for the 2021-2025 time period is projected in the range of $750 million to $1 billion. The company has boosted its earnings per guidance to $6.05-$6.25 for 2025. Chesapeake Utilities has returned 25% in the past 12 months.ONE Gas Inc. OGS reported third-quarter 2021 earnings of 38 cents per share, on par with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Revenues of $273.9 million for the quarter surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $261 million by 4.9%.ONE Gas raised its 2021 net income guided range to $204-$209 million from $198-$210 million and earnings per share expectation to $3.80-$3.90 from the $3.68-$3.92 band. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ONE Gas’ 2021 earnings has moved up 0.8% in the past 60 days to $3.84 per share. Tech IPOs With Massive Profit Potential: Last years top IPOs surged as much as 299% within the first two months. With record amounts of cash flooding into IPOs and a record-setting stock market, this year could be even more lucrative. See Zacks’ Hottest Tech IPOs 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 Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (CPK): Free Stock Analysis Report Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO): Free Stock Analysis Report National Fuel Gas Company (NFG): Free Stock Analysis Report ONE Gas, Inc. (OGS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research