Fifth Third Bancorp Boosts Stake in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 531.4% in the first quarter, ending with 41,543 shares valued at about $7.67 million.
• Atmos Energy reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, posting $3.47 EPS versus the $3.37 estimate and revenue of $1.96 billion, while also guiding FY 2026 EPS to 8.40–8.50.
• The stock recently traded down 1.9% to $175.07, and analysts currently rate it Hold on average with a target price of $186.33.

Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 531.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 41,543 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 34,964 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $7,674,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. TABR Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,096,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $34,582,000. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 133.1% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 39,904 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,814,000 after acquiring an additional 22,784 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 182,173 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $30,853,000 after acquiring an additional 20,408 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 30.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 486,229 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $81,507,000 after acquiring an additional 114,836 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 1.9%

ATO opened at $175.07 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $153.84 and a 12 month high of $192.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $174.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $177.28.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $3.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion for 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.03 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 26th were paid 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 dividend yield of 2.3%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ATO. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $193.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Barclays decreased their target price on Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on Atmos Energy from $192.00 to $184.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $186.33.

Atmos Energy 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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