Engineers Gate Manager LP Purchases New Position in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Engineers Gate Manager LP purchased 78,123 shares of Atmos Energy worth approximately $13.46 million during the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 90.17% of the company.
• Atmos Energy reported quarterly EPS of $1.43, beating estimates of $1.35, while revenue of $879.06 million fell short of expectations. The company expects fiscal 2026 EPS of $8.40–$8.50.
• The company maintains a quarterly dividend of $1.00, equivalent to $4.00 annually and a 2.4% yield. Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $187.73, compared with a recent price of $164.86.

Engineers Gate Manager LP purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 78,123 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $13,458,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 62.7% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 15,376 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,649,000 after buying an additional 5,924 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 85.8% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,178 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $547,000 after acquiring an additional 1,468 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 253.0% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 138,416 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $23,845,000 after acquiring an additional 99,201 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 81.6% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,975 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $857,000 after purchasing an additional 2,236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 7.9% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 47,433 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $8,171,000 after purchasing an additional 3,484 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $164.86 on Friday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $160.10 and a 12 month high of $192.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $172.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $177.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.86 billion, a PE ratio of 19.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.60.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $900.82 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.67%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were issued a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is presently 47.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $192.00 to $184.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 29th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $193.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $187.73.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William Ware purchased 300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation NYSE: ATO is a regulated natural gas distribution and pipeline company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Through its utility operations, the company delivers natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers, with services focused on safe and reliable energy delivery.

Atmos Energy serves customers across eight states: Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Its operations include local natural gas distribution as well as pipeline transportation and storage activities, primarily through its Atmos Pipeline-Texas business.

The company traces its roots to 1906 and has expanded over time through growth and acquisitions in the natural gas industry.

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