Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Stock Position Raised by IFP Advisors Inc

IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 262.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 11,514 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 8,336 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,801,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth about $143,000. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $176,000. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $221,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $661,000. Finally, Gemmer Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $155,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO opened at $166.75 on Thursday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a one year low of $154.72 and a one year high of $192.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $163.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $172.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.57.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $900.82 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director William Ware bought 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $81,783.92. This represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on ATO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective (down from $198.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $183.27.

Atmos Energy Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) is a regulated natural gas utility that distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers. The company also operates natural gas pipeline and storage assets, supporting the transportation and management of gas within its service areas.

Atmos Energy serves more than 3 million distribution customers across eight states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Kansas and Colorado. Its distribution operations include a large network of natural gas pipelines and related infrastructure, while its pipeline and storage business provides transportation and storage services primarily in Texas and Mississippi.

The company traces its history to 1906 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.