Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. Acquires New Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Montrusco Bolton Investments acquired 468,947 Atmos Energy shares worth approximately $73.4 million, making ATO about 1.2% of its portfolio and its 27th-largest holding.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Atmos Energy has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $183.58, compared with its reported trading price of $163.47.
• Atmos Energy exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $1.43 versus $1.35, while maintaining FY 2026 guidance of $8.40–$8.50 per share and a $4.00 annualized dividend yielding about 2.4%.

Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 468,947 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $73,362,000. Atmos Energy makes up approximately 1.2% of Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. owned approximately 0.28% of Atmos Energy at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ATO. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 627.3% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William Ware purchased 300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,783.92. This trade represents a 159.57% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ATO. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Barclays decreased 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 research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Argus reissued a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 target price on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $183.58.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock traded up $1.09 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $163.47. 803,599 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,232,018. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.46, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.57. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $154.72 and a 12-month high of $192.51. 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 has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $173.60.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.67%. The company had revenue of $879.06 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $900.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.62%.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation is a regulated natural gas distribution and pipeline company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company delivers natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers and is one of the largest natural gas distributors in the United States.

Atmos Energy operates through two primary businesses: natural gas distribution and pipeline and storage operations. Its distribution activities include acquiring, transporting, storing and delivering natural gas, while its pipeline operations provide transportation and storage services and support the company's distribution network.

The company serves customers across eight states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.

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.