Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Shares Acquired by Vest Financial LLC

Key Points

• Vest Financial increased its Atmos Energy stake by 3.4% in the third quarter, adding 9,127 shares to own 274,575 shares valued at approximately $43 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.17% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a cautious outlook, with a consensus “Hold” rating and average price target of $183.27; Atmos Energy shares recently traded at $166.75.
• Atmos Energy reported quarterly EPS of $1.43, exceeding estimates, and declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 2.4% annualized yield.

Vest Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 3.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 274,575 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 9,127 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned about 0.16% of Atmos Energy worth $42,955,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,624,975,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of 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. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $431,677,000. Amundi raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 40.0% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 1,823,714 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $314,171,000 after buying an additional 520,828 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $276,558,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ATO. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. 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, Barclays reduced 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 research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $183.27.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $166.75 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $28.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.85, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $163.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $172.65. 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 issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $900.82 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.67%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is 47.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Atmos Energy news, Director William Ware bought 300 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 488 shares of the company's stock, valued at $81,783.92. The trade was a 159.57% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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