30,554 Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Purchased by Central Bank & Trust Co.

Key Points

• Central Bank & Trust Co. acquired 30,554 Atmos Energy shares during the third quarter, valued at approximately $4.78 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 90.17% of ATO’s outstanding shares.
• Analysts remain cautious, with three Buy ratings and eleven Hold ratings; the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $183.58.
• Atmos Energy reported quarterly EPS of $1.43, exceeding estimates, and pays a quarterly dividend of $1.00, equivalent to a $4.00 annualized payout and a 2.5% yield.

Central Bank & Trust Co. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 30,554 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,780,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ATO. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the second quarter worth $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 627.3% during the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director William Ware bought 300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.43% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on ATO. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of 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 reduced their target price on Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $179.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 price objective (down from $198.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $183.58.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO stock traded up $0.85 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $161.51. 191,680 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,229,540. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $154.72 and a 12 month high of $192.51. 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 has a market cap of $27.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.22, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.57. The company's 50 day moving average price is $165.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $173.87.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 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 analysts' expectations of $900.82 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is currently 47.62%.

Atmos Energy 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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