Man Group plc Invests $14.37 Million in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Man Group purchased 83,400 shares of Atmos Energy worth approximately $14.37 million, while institutional investors collectively own 90.17% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with four Buy ratings and nine Holds; the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $187.73.
• Atmos Energy exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.43 in EPS versus $1.35 expected, and declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend, equal to a 2.4% annualized yield.

Man Group plc bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 83,400 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $14,367,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Garner Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 627.3% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on ATO shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $196.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. Argus cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Wall Street Zen cut Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on Atmos Energy from $192.00 to $184.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $187.73.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $167.18 on Friday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a one year low of $160.10 and a one year high of $192.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market cap of $28.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.88, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.60. The firm's fifty day moving average is $173.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.26.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released 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 business had revenue of $879.06 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $900.82 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%.During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director William James Ware acquired 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,783.92. This trade represents a 159.57% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.43% of the company's stock.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ATO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source