27,937 Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Purchased by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG purchased 27,937 shares of Atmos Energy worth approximately $4.8 million, while institutional investors collectively own 90.17% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally cautious outlook, with four Buy ratings and nine Holds; the average price target is $187.73 versus a recent share price of $167.16.
• Atmos Energy exceeded quarterly earnings expectations with $1.43 EPS versus $1.35 forecast, raised its outlook to $8.40–$8.50 EPS for fiscal 2026, and declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend, yielding about 2.4% annually.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG bought a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 27,937 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,813,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,032,554 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,525,687,000 after purchasing an additional 276,485 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the second quarter valued at $2,624,975,000. Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,893,826 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,993,968,000 after acquiring an additional 927,986 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,786,358 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,808,117,000 after acquiring an additional 155,836 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,214,985 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $703,824,000 after acquiring an additional 78,438 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $196.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company began 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. 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 report on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Atmos Energy from $196.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $193.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $187.73.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $167.16 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $28.25 billion, a PE ratio of 19.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.81. The company's fifty day moving average price is $173.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $178.26. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $160.10 and a 1 year high of $192.51.

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 business had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $900.82 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.67%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Atmos Energy news, Director William James Ware purchased 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 488 shares of the company's stock, valued at $81,783.92. The trade was a 159.57% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.43% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy 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.

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