GQG Partners LLC Invests $202.44 Million in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• GQG Partners initiated a $202.4 million position in Atmos Energy, acquiring 1.18 million shares, while institutional investors collectively own 90.17% of the utility.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Atmos Energy has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $187.73, compared with the stock’s recent price of $167.16.
• Atmos Energy beat quarterly EPS expectations ($1.43 versus $1.35) and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00, equal to a $4.00 annual payout and a 2.4% yield.

GQG Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,175,136 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $202,443,000. GQG Partners LLC owned approximately 0.70% of Atmos Energy as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,624,975,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $431,677,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $331,426,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Atmos Energy by 94.9% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,652,267 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $562,851,000 after acquiring an additional 1,778,653 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 26,269.9% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,033,701 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $173,279,000 after acquiring an additional 1,029,781 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $182.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $196.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Mizuho dropped their target price 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. Wall Street Zen lowered Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $187.73.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director William James Ware acquired 300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,783.92. The trade was a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 2.0%

ATO stock opened at $167.16 on Friday. 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 company's 50 day simple moving average is $173.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $178.26. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $160.10 and a 12 month high of $192.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.25 billion, a PE ratio of 19.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.60.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%.The firm had revenue of $879.06 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $900.82 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.56%.

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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