Janus Henderson Group PLC Raises Stake in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Janus Henderson Group increased its Atmos Energy stake by 83.9% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 14,521 shares valued at approximately $2.68 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 90.17% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with four Buy and nine Hold ratings and an average price target of $189.09. Recent targets range from $185 to $200, compared with Atmos Energy’s share price of $170.31.
• Atmos Energy exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting EPS of $1.43 versus the $1.35 consensus, while revenue fell short of estimates. The company declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 2.3% yield.

Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 83.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,521 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,624 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,682,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ATO. Garner Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 625.8% during the 3rd quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 225 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Argus lowered their price objective on Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. TD Cowen raised 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Atmos Energy from $196.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Citigroup upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $182.00 to $191.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, July 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $189.09.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 1.0%

Atmos Energy stock opened at $170.31 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $173.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $178.12. Atmos Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $160.10 and a twelve month high of $192.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.25, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%.The business had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $900.82 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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

About Atmos Energy

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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