Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Stock Acquired by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management increased its Atmos Energy stake by 208% in the third quarter, purchasing 342,962 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 507,818 shares valued at approximately $79.4 million.
• Atmos Energy reported quarterly EPS of $1.43, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.35, while issuing fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $8.40–$8.50. The company also maintains a $4.00 annual dividend, yielding about 2.4%.
• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating on the stock, with an average price target of $183; shares recently traded at $167.48. Institutional investors collectively own 90.17% of Atmos Energy.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 208.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 507,818 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 342,962 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.30% of Atmos Energy worth $79,443,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,624,975,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the second quarter worth about $720,212,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $431,677,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $276,558,000. Finally, GQG Partners LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $202,443,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $167.48 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $164.05 and its 200 day moving average is $173.16. The stock has a market cap of $28.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.94, a P/E/G 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 one year low of $154.72 and a one year high of $192.51.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released 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. The company had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 earned $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

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

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 stock was bought at an average price of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 488 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $81,783.92. This represents a 159.57% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.43% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $179.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 18th. 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 report on Friday, September 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Argus reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $185.00 target price on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $183.00.

About Atmos Energy

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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