Vest Financial LLC Lowers Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC cut its stake in Atmos Energy by 19.9% in Q4, selling 69,151 shares and ending the quarter with 278,526 shares worth about $46.7 million (roughly 0.17% ownership).
• Several analysts updated views on ATO—price targets were raised by Barclays and Citigroup while Weiss upgraded the stock to a stronger "buy," but the MarketBeat consensus remains "Hold" with an average target of $181.11.
• Operationally, Atmos reported Q4 EPS of $2.44 (beating estimates), set FY2026 guidance of $8.15–$8.35 EPS, and pays a $1.00 quarterly dividend ($4.00 annualized, ~2.2% yield, ~52% payout ratio).

Vest Financial LLC decreased its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 19.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 278,526 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 69,151 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned approximately 0.17% of Atmos Energy worth $46,689,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 1,579 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $265,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 30.4% in the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 279 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Little House Capital LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 10,733 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,833,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. PAX Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. PAX Financial Group LLC now owns 3,178 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $543,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 868 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $148,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $167.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings raised Atmos Energy from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen raised Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Atmos Energy from $197.00 to $195.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $181.11.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE ATO opened at $185.67 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $185.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $176.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $149.98 and a 1-year high of $192.51.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The utilities provider reported $2.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.21 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 25.67%.During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.23 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.150-8.350 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.28 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is 51.95%.

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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