KG Capital Management Makes New Investment in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

KG Capital Management bought a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 3,482 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $545,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 627.3% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Downshift Financial LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 2,514.3% in the 3rd quarter. Downshift Financial LLC now owns 183 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director William Ware bought 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,783.92. This trade represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase 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 insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on ATO. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Argus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Wall Street Zen cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $183.58.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO stock opened at $163.89 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.51, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $164.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $173.34. Atmos Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $154.72 and a fifty-two 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 released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.67%. The firm had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $900.82 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 24th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.62%.

Atmos Energy 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.