Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Stock: Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Raises Stake

Key Points

• Pictet Asset Management raised its Atmos Energy stake 2.0% in the third quarter, adding 25,949 shares to bring its holdings to about 1.30 million shares, valued at $202.8 million.
• Atmos Energy’s fiscal fourth-quarter EPS of $1.17 beat estimates of $1.14 and rose from $1.07 a year earlier, while revenue of $837 million fell short of expectations.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend 9% to $1.09 per share. Analysts’ consensus rating is “Hold,” with a consensus price target of $183.36.

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,296,349 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 25,949 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned 0.77% of Atmos Energy worth $202,801,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Atmos Energy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Atmos Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterated its Overweight rating and set a $201 price target, about 16% above the cited share price—an endorsement that may support investor sentiment. Wells Fargo rating
• Positive Sentiment: Atmos reported fiscal Q4 EPS of $1.17, beating the $1.14 consensus and rising from $1.07 a year earlier. Coverage attributed the beat to higher rates and operating strength. Q4 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: The company plans $29 billion in capital spending over five years and is targeting 6%–8% EPS growth from the fiscal 2027 midpoint, signaling continued infrastructure investment and earnings growth ambitions. Five-year investment plan
• Positive Sentiment: Atmos raised its quarterly dividend 9%, from $1.00 to $1.09 per share, indicating a higher shareholder payout. Dividend increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Fiscal Q4 revenue was $837 million, below analyst expectations of roughly $874 million. The earnings beat was therefore not matched by revenue. Quarterly results

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William Ware acquired 300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $81,783.92. This trade represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on ATO shares. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Atmos Energy from $179.00 to $174.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $201.00 target price on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday. Barclays dropped their target price on Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Atmos Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the company from $198.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $183.36.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $173.28 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $164.84 and a 200 day moving average of $174.24. The company has a market cap of $29.28 billion, a PE ratio of 20.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.56. 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 Corporation has a 12-month low of $154.72 and a 12-month high of $192.51.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.63%. The company had revenue of $837.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $873.77 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.07 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 9.10 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 23rd will be paid a $1.09 dividend. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from Atmos Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 23rd. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.00%.

Atmos Energy Profile

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