Fearless Solutions LLC dba Best Invest Purchases New Stake in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Fearless Solutions LLC dba Best Invest acquired a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 5,202 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $814,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,624,975,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $720,212,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $431,677,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $276,558,000. Finally, GQG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $202,443,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 28th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $183.58.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $163.47 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $164.44 and its 200-day moving average is $173.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.81. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $154.72 and a 52 week high of $192.51. The company has a market capitalization of $27.63 billion, a PE ratio of 19.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.57.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $900.82 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director William Ware acquired 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,783.92. This represents a 159.57% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

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.