Commerce Bank Invests $1.41 Million in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Commerce Bank bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 8,194 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,412,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $233,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 3,168 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $490,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 8.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,312 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,676,000 after purchasing an additional 1,331 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,117 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $482,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 43.9% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 13,410 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,073,000 after purchasing an additional 4,088 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.1%

ATO stock opened at $167.58 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $28.32 billion, a PE ratio of 19.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.60. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $173.50 and its 200 day moving average is $178.31. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $160.10 and a 12 month high of $192.51.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. The business 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 period last year, the company posted $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is 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 47.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ATO. Barclays lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $196.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $196.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $187.73.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director William James Ware acquired 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,783.92. The trade was a 159.57% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

About Atmos Energy

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.