4,477 Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Purchased by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,477 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $771,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,624,975,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $431,677,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth $331,426,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 94.9% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,652,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $562,851,000 after buying an additional 1,778,653 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,893,826 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,993,968,000 after buying an additional 927,986 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $169.35 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $173.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.29. The firm has a market cap of $28.62 billion, a PE ratio of 20.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.60. Atmos Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $160.10 and a twelve month high of $192.51.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%.The business had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $900.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 24th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 47.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Atmos Energy news, Director William James Ware bought 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,783.92. The trade was a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on ATO. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $196.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Argus cut their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $192.00 to $184.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $187.73.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE: ATO) is a U.S.-based natural-gas utility that primarily focuses on the regulated distribution of natural gas. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company operates through local distribution systems to deliver natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and electric generation customers. Atmos’s core activities include pipeline operations, gas distribution, system maintenance and reliability programs designed to ensure safe and continuous service to its customers.

The company’s services encompass gas delivery, system integrity and maintenance, storage and transmission connections, and customer-facing programs such as billing, conservation initiatives and energy-efficiency offerings.