Valeo Financial Advisors LLC Acquires 8,304 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Valeo Financial Advisors acquired 8,304 Atmos Energy shares worth approximately $1.3 million during the third quarter, while institutional investors collectively own 90.17% of the company.
• Analysts remain cautious, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $183.58 after several firms lowered their targets.
• Atmos Energy reported quarterly EPS of $1.43, exceeding estimates, and maintained FY 2026 guidance of $8.40–$8.50 EPS. The company also pays a $1.00 quarterly dividend, representing a 2.5% yield.

Valeo Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 8,304 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,299,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ATO. Veracity Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $149,000. Vista Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $533,000. Plan A Wealth LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 20.8% during the 3rd quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC now owns 1,487 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Tactive Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $238,000. Finally, Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $63,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director William Ware acquired 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,783.92. This represents a 159.57% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ATO. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $179.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $180.00 price target (down from $198.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $183.58.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.9%

ATO opened at $160.68 on Friday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $154.72 and a 52 week high of $192.51. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $165.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $173.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The company has a market cap of $27.15 billion, a PE ratio of 19.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.57.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. The company had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $900.82 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%.During the same period last year, the business posted $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 24th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.

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