Vontobel Holding Ltd. Purchases 8,313 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Vontobel Holding increased its Atmos Energy position by 197.1% in the third quarter, acquiring 8,313 additional shares for a total of 12,531 shares valued at approximately $1.96 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.17% of the company.
• Atmos Energy exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.43 EPS versus the $1.35 consensus, while issuing fiscal 2026 guidance of $8.40–$8.50 EPS. The company also maintains a $4.00 annualized dividend, yielding about 2.4%.
• Analysts remain cautious, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $183. Several firms recently lowered their targets, while the stock was trading near $167.48.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 197.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,531 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 8,313 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,960,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter valued at about $2,624,975,000. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,608,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew its position in Atmos Energy by 474.7% in the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 5,971 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $934,000 after buying an additional 4,932 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $720,212,000. Finally, Opal Capital LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $6,154,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William Ware acquired 300 shares of the business'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 acquisition, the director owned 488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,783.92. This represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.43% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO opened at $167.48 on Monday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $164.05 and its 200-day moving average is $173.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.57. 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 Corporation has a 12-month low of $154.72 and a 12-month high of $192.51.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $900.82 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.67%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were paid 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 2.4%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective (down from $198.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, September 11th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Atmos Energy from $179.00 to $174.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $179.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $183.00.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation NYSE: ATO is a regulated natural gas utility that distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers. The company also operates natural gas pipeline and storage assets, supporting the transportation and management of gas within its service areas.

Atmos Energy serves more than 3 million distribution customers across eight states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Kansas and Colorado. Its distribution operations include a large network of natural gas pipelines and related infrastructure, while its pipeline and storage business provides transportation and storage services primarily in Texas and Mississippi.

The company traces its history to 1906 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

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