Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Stock Holdings Increased by Hennessy Advisors Inc.

Hennessy Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 148,286 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $25,545,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,098,374 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $189,217,000 after buying an additional 34,696 shares in the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the 2nd quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 8,200 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,413,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the period. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. raised its position in Atmos Energy by 9.8% in the second quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 5,028 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $866,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 71,024 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $12,235,000 after purchasing an additional 3,831 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $443,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.3%

ATO stock opened at $166.77 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $28.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.60. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $160.10 and a 52-week high of $192.51. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $173.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $178.18.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the business earned $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William James Ware purchased 300 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $196.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Argus dropped their price target on Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Citigroup increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $182.00 to $191.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $193.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $187.73.

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.