Eastern Bank Trims Stake in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Eastern Bank reduced its Atmos Energy stake by 23.1% in the second quarter, selling 14,698 shares and retaining 48,842 shares valued at approximately $8.4 million.
• Atmos Energy reported quarterly EPS of $3.47, exceeding estimates, while reaffirming fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $8.40–$8.50. The company also declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend, representing a 2.3% annualized yield.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $186.92; shares recently traded near $173, below their 12-month high of $192.51.

Eastern Bank trimmed its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 23.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 48,842 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 14,698 shares during the period. Eastern Bank's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $8,414,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Garner Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 270.2% during the 4th quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 174 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the first quarter valued at about $34,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $173.19 on Tuesday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $173.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $178.12. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $155.56 and a 12-month high of $192.51. The firm has a market cap of $28.91 billion, a PE ratio of 21.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $3.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 27.58% and a return on equity of 9.59%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.03 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.44 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 26th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 49.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. TD Cowen upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $193.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $182.00 to $191.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $196.00 price objective on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $186.92.

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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