8,337 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Bought by BG Investment Services LLC

Key Points

• BG Investment Services LLC bought 8,337 Atmos Energy shares worth approximately $1.3 million in the third quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 90.17% of the utility company.
• Analysts maintain a generally cautious outlook, with three Buy ratings and ten Holds; Atmos Energy has a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $183.27.
• Atmos Energy reported quarterly EPS of $1.43, exceeding estimates of $1.35, and pays an annualized dividend of $4.00 per share, yielding about 2.3%.

BG Investment Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 8,337 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,304,000.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ATO shares. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed 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. Barclays lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $183.27.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $172.49 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $29.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50 day moving average of $164.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $172.55. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $154.72 and a 52-week high of $192.51. 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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.67%. The business had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $900.82 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William Ware purchased 300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $167.59 per share, with a total value 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. This represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.43% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation NYSE: ATO is a regulated natural gas utility that distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers. The company also operates natural gas pipeline and storage assets, supporting the transportation and management of gas within its service areas.

Atmos Energy serves more than 3 million distribution customers across eight states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Kansas and Colorado. Its distribution operations include a large network of natural gas pipelines and related infrastructure, while its pipeline and storage business provides transportation and storage services primarily in Texas and Mississippi.

The company traces its history to 1906 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

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