Hanson & Doremus Investment Management Acquires 13,979 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Hanson & Doremus Investment Management lifted its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 9,319.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,129 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 13,979 shares during the quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,210,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the second quarter worth $2,624,975,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Atmos Energy by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,199,433 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $775,719,000 after purchasing an additional 416,933 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $431,677,000. Amundi boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 40.0% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,823,714 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $314,171,000 after buying an additional 520,828 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $276,558,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Atmos Energy news, Director William Ware acquired 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the purchase, the director directly 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 acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $167.48 on Friday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $154.72 and a 1-year high of $192.51. The stock has a market cap of $28.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $164.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $173.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $879.06 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 prior year, the company posted $1.16 earnings per share. 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 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Argus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $185.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $179.00 to $174.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $183.00.

Atmos Energy Company 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.