Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Stock: Vest Financial LLC Raises Holdings

Vest Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 274,575 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 9,127 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $42,955,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,624,975,000. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,608,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 474.7% in the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 5,971 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $934,000 after acquiring an additional 4,932 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $720,212,000. Finally, Opal Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $6,154,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 target price (down from $198.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Argus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $185.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Barclays reduced 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. Jefferies Financial Group decreased 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $183.27.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.2%

ATO stock opened at $166.75 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $163.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $172.65. The company has a market cap 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. 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 fifty-two week low of $154.72 and a fifty-two week high of $192.51.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $879.06 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $900.82 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director William Ware bought 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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. This trade represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.43% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Atmos Energy

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.