Diversify Advisory Services LLC Invests $10.94 Million in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Diversify Advisory Services initiated a $10.94 million position in Atmos Energy during the second quarter, purchasing 61,380 shares. Institutional investors collectively own 90.17% of the company.
• Analysts remain cautious, with Atmos Energy carrying a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $188.27; recent target changes ranged from $179 to $200.
• Atmos Energy beat quarterly earnings estimates, reporting $1.43 in EPS versus $1.35 expected, and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, equating to a 2.3% annualized yield.

Diversify Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 61,380 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $10,939,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,366,000. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $100,980,000. First National Bank of Omaha bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,462,000. Energy Income Partners LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $70,743,000. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $738,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ATO. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Atmos Energy from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $192.00 to $184.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $188.27.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $170.60 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The business has a 50-day moving average of $173.54 and a 200-day moving average of $178.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.29, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.60. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $160.10 and a 12 month high of $192.51.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced 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. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.67%. The business 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 47.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director William James Ware acquired 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 488 shares in the company, valued at $81,783.92. This represents a 159.57% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.43% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation NYSE: ATO is a U.S.-based natural-gas utility that primarily focuses on the regulated distribution of natural gas. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company operates through local distribution systems to deliver natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and electric generation customers. Atmos's core activities include pipeline operations, gas distribution, system maintenance and reliability programs designed to ensure safe and continuous service to its customers.

The company's services encompass gas delivery, system integrity and maintenance, storage and transmission connections, and customer-facing programs such as billing, conservation initiatives and energy-efficiency offerings.

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