6,825 Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Purchased by New England Research & Management Inc.

Key Points

• New England Research & Management purchased 6,825 Atmos Energy shares worth approximately $1.07 million during the third quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 90.17% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a cautious outlook, with three Buy ratings and ten Hold ratings, resulting in a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $183.
• Atmos Energy reported quarterly EPS of $1.43, exceeding estimates of $1.35, and pays a $4.00 annualized dividend, yielding approximately 2.4%.

New England Research & Management Inc. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 6,825 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,068,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter valued at $2,624,975,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Atmos Energy by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,199,433 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $775,719,000 after buying an additional 416,933 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $431,677,000. Amundi raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 40.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,823,714 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $314,171,000 after buying an additional 520,828 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $276,558,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on 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. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 price target (down from $198.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $183.00.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded up $3.53 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $167.48. 955,892 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,138,878. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $154.72 and a 52 week 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's fifty day simple moving average is $164.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $173.16. The company has a market cap of $28.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.57.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.67%. The company 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 posted $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th were issued 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 2.4%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.62%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director William Ware acquired 300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 488 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $81,783.92. The trade was 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 this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.43% of the company's stock.

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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