36,781 Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Bought by Sound Income Strategies LLC

Key Points

• Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired 36,781 Atmos Energy shares worth approximately $5.75 million during the third quarter. Other institutional investors also initiated positions, with institutional ownership reaching 90.17%.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: three analysts rate Atmos Energy a Buy and eleven rate it a Hold, resulting in a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $183.58.
• Atmos Energy reported quarterly EPS of $1.43, beating estimates of $1.35, and maintains a $4.00 annualized dividend, yielding about 2.5%. Shares recently traded at $161.69.

Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new stake 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 firm acquired 36,781 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,754,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GK Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth $110,000. Balefire LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $162,000. Decker Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,478,000. Successful Portfolios LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $118,000. Finally, Bill Few Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $629,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director William Ware purchased 300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 488 shares of the company's stock, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.43% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on ATO. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Argus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 target price on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $179.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $183.58.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded up $1.03 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $161.69. The company had a trading volume of 877,657 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,233,125. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.25, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.57. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $165.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Atmos Energy Corporation has a one year low of $154.72 and a one year high of $192.51.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 firm posted $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.62%.

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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