Investors Research Corp Buys 4,509 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Investors Research Corp purchased a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 4,509 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $705,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 627.3% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO stock traded down $0.42 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $159.32. The company had a trading volume of 1,533,340 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,230,304. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $165.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $174.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $154.72 and a 52 week high of $192.51.

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

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 47.62%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William Ware bought 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 488 shares of the company’s stock, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price target (down from $198.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, September 11th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $183.58.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation is a regulated natural gas distribution and pipeline company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company delivers natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers and is one of the largest natural gas distributors in the United States.

Atmos Energy operates through two primary businesses: natural gas distribution and pipeline and storage operations. Its distribution activities include acquiring, transporting, storing and delivering natural gas, while its pipeline operations provide transportation and storage services and support the company’s distribution network.

The company serves customers across eight states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.