Meeder Advisory Services Inc. Makes New Investment in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 4,283 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $738,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,624,975,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,582,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 30.9% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 486,229 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $81,507,000 after purchasing an additional 114,836 shares in the last quarter. Opal Capital LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $6,154,000. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $2,558,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $170.63 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.83 billion, a PE ratio of 20.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.60. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $173.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $178.34. 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 earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $900.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 24th will be given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 47.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William James Ware purchased 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut Atmos Energy from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Argus dropped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, July 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Four equities 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $188.27.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

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.