ING Groep NV Makes New $1.68 Million Investment in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

ING Groep NV acquired a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 10,045 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,684,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of ATO. Garner Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 85.9% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 270.2% during the 4th quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 174 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on ATO. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $182.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $195.00 to $187.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $167.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $192.00 to $184.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $181.90.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $167.52 on Wednesday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $149.98 and a 12-month high of $192.51. The stock has a market cap of $27.96 billion, a PE ratio of 20.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a 50-day moving average of $181.38 and a 200 day moving average of $176.78.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $3.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.10. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 27.58% and a return on equity of 9.59%. The company had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.03 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 26th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 26th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.14%.

Atmos Energy 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.