30,554 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Acquired by Central Bank & Trust Co.

Central Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 30,554 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,780,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the second quarter worth $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 627.3% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the first quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William Ware acquired 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,783.92. This trade represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO stock traded up $0.85 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $161.51. 191,680 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,229,540. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.29 billion, a PE ratio of 19.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a 50-day moving average of $165.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $173.87. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $154.72 and a 52 week high of $192.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.67%. The business 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 24th were given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 47.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ATO. Wall Street Zen downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, 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 research note on Friday, September 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $183.58.

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.