Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Purchases 6,978 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Citizens Financial Group increased its Atmos Energy stake by 86.4% in the third quarter, purchasing 6,978 shares to reach 15,059 shares valued at approximately $2.36 million.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of Atmos Energy, with BlackRock, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, Amundi and Legal & General among significant holders.
• Atmos Energy reported quarterly EPS of $1.43, exceeding analyst estimates, and pays a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, representing a 2.3% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $183.27.

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 86.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,059 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 6,978 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,356,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the second quarter valued at about $2,624,975,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 11.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,199,433 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $775,719,000 after acquiring 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 worth $431,677,000. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 40.0% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 1,823,714 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $314,171,000 after buying an additional 520,828 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $276,558,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.5%

Atmos Energy stock opened at $171.32 on Tuesday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $164.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $174.02. The stock has a market cap of $28.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.50, a PEG ratio of 2.74 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 fifty-two week low of $154.72 and a fifty-two week high of $192.51.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.67%. The firm had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $900.82 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is presently 47.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Argus reissued a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Barclays cut their price objective 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $179.00 to $174.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $183.27.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William Ware acquired 300 shares of Atmos Energy 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 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.43% of the company's stock.

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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