Anchor Investment Management LLC Has $3.90 Million Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Anchor Investment Management increased its Atmos Energy stake by 176.7% in the second quarter, ending with 22,612 shares worth approximately $3.90 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.17% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a broadly neutral outlook, with three Buy ratings and ten Holds. The consensus price target is $186.09, while recent targets ranged from $183 to $200.
• Atmos Energy shares fell 1.0% to $162.17, near the company’s 52-week low, despite quarterly earnings of $1.43 per share exceeding expectations. The company also pays a $4.00 annualized dividend, yielding 2.5%.

Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 176.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,612 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 14,440 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $3,895,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,624,975,000. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,893,826 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,993,968,000 after purchasing an additional 927,986 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in 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 valued at $703,824,000 after purchasing an additional 78,438 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 11.0% in the first 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,887,367 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $484,009,000 after buying an additional 47,860 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ATO shares. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, July 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Atmos Energy from $196.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Argus lowered their target price on Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Barclays dropped 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. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on Atmos Energy from $192.00 to $184.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $186.09.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE:ATO traded down $1.67 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $162.17. 1,107,939 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,237,715. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $171.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $177.27. Atmos Energy Corporation has a one year low of $160.10 and a one year high of $192.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $879.06 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $900.82 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 was Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is 47.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director William Ware bought 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,783.92. This represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation NYSE: ATO is a regulated natural gas distribution and pipeline company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Through its utility operations, the company delivers natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers, with services focused on safe and reliable energy delivery.

Atmos Energy serves customers across eight states: Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Its operations include local natural gas distribution as well as pipeline transportation and storage activities, primarily through its Atmos Pipeline-Texas business.

The company traces its roots to 1906 and has expanded over time through growth and acquisitions in the natural gas industry.

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