4,022 Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Purchased by Bill Few Associates Inc.

Bill Few Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 4,022 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $629,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ATO. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter worth $138,000. Bullock Wealth Management Group acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $439,000. Riversedge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $866,000. Wedmont Private Capital increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 999.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 13,151 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,057,000 after purchasing an additional 11,955 shares during the period. Finally, Intelligence Driven Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at about $266,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director William Ware acquired 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,783.92. This represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO traded up $1.03 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $161.69. 877,657 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,233,125. Atmos Energy Corporation has a one year low of $154.72 and a one year high of $192.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $165.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average 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.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $879.06 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 in the prior year, the firm posted $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 24th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on ATO. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $183.58.

About Atmos Energy

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.