Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. Makes New Investment in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 6,604 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,033,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 627.3% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director William Ware purchased 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 488 shares in the company, valued at $81,783.92. This trade represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded up $0.81 on Tuesday, reaching $158.86. The company had a trading volume of 220,070 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,224,253. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.85 billion, a PE ratio of 18.91, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.57. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $166.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $174.37. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $154.72 and a 52-week high of $192.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%.The business had revenue of $879.06 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $900.82 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 24th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Argus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays decreased their price target 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price (down from $198.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.