11,699 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Purchased by First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

Key Points

• First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. acquired 11,699 Atmos Energy shares worth approximately $1.83 million in the third quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 90.17% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally cautious outlook, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $183, compared with Atmos Energy’s opening price of $163.72.
• Atmos Energy exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.43 in EPS versus the $1.35 consensus estimate, and pays a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, representing a 2.4% yield.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. bought a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 11,699 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,830,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,624,975,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $720,212,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $431,677,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $276,558,000. Finally, GQG Partners LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $202,443,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Argus reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 target price (down from $198.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, September 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 28th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $183.00.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $163.72 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $164.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $173.20. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $154.72 and a 12-month high of $192.51. The firm has a market cap of $27.67 billion, a PE ratio of 19.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 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 (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) 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. The company had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $900.82 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William Ware purchased 300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,783.92. The trade was a 159.57% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company 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.

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