Jennison Associates LLC Sells 6,958 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Jennison Associates LLC trimmed its Atmos Energy position by 2.0% in the first quarter, selling 6,958 shares and leaving it with 346,090 shares valued at about $63.9 million.
• Atmos Energy’s stock was little changed, opening at $177.57, with a market cap of $29.64 billion and trading near its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• The company beat quarterly earnings estimates, reporting $3.47 EPS versus $3.37 expected, and it also paid a $1.00 quarterly dividend, equal to a 2.3% yield.

Jennison Associates LLC cut its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 2.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 346,090 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 6,958 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC owned about 0.21% of Atmos Energy worth $63,930,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $331,426,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 94.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,652,267 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $562,851,000 after purchasing an additional 1,778,653 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 26,269.9% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,033,701 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $173,279,000 after purchasing an additional 1,029,781 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,893,826 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,993,968,000 after purchasing an additional 927,986 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $107,729,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on ATO shares. Wall Street Zen cut Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $190.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $192.00 to $184.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $186.42.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.1%

ATO opened at $177.57 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $29.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.60. The business's 50-day moving average price is $174.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $154.23 and a 12 month high of $192.51.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $3.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.59% and a net margin of 27.58%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.03 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

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

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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