The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Takes Position in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired 387,012 Atmos Energy shares worth approximately $66.7 million, representing about 0.23% of the utility. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 90.17% of the stock.
• Atmos Energy reported quarterly EPS of $1.43, beating estimates of $1.35, although revenue of $879.1 million fell short of expectations. The company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $8.40–$8.50.
• Atmos Energy declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, or $4.00 annualized, yielding about 2.4%. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $187.73.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 387,012 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $66,671,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.23% of Atmos Energy as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

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

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO opened at $167.58 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $173.50 and a 200-day moving average of $178.31. Atmos Energy Corporation has a one year low of $160.10 and a one year high of $192.51. The company has a market cap of $28.32 billion, a PE ratio of 19.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

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, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $900.82 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $193.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $196.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $187.73.

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.

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