Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Shares Newly Bought by Community Trust & Investment Co.

Key Points

• Community Trust & Investment Co. bought 12,367 Atmos Energy shares in the third quarter, valued at approximately $1.94 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 90.17% of ATO’s stock.
• Atmos Energy’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $1.43 versus the $1.35 consensus estimate. The company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $8.40–$8.50 and pays an annualized dividend of $4.00, yielding about 2.4%.
• ATO shares opened at $163.72, near their 52-week low and below the consensus analyst price target of $183.00. Wall Street’s overall rating is “Hold,” with three Buy ratings and ten Hold ratings.

Community Trust & Investment Co. bought a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 12,367 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,935,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 627.3% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Downshift Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 2,514.3% during the third quarter. Downshift Financial LLC now owns 183 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $163.72 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $164.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $173.20. The company has a market capitalization of $27.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.81. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $154.72 and a 52-week high of $192.51.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%. The company had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $900.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director William Ware bought 300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the transaction, 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of 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 reduced their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 price target (down from $198.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $179.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $183.00.

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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