6,825 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Purchased by New England Research & Management Inc.

New England Research & Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 6,825 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,068,000.

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

Atmos Energy Stock Up 2.2%

NYSE:ATO traded up $3.53 on Friday, hitting $167.48. 955,892 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,138,878. 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 Corporation has a 1 year low of $154.72 and a 1 year high of $192.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $164.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $173.16. The company has a market cap of $28.30 billion, a PE ratio of 19.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.57.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William Ware acquired 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 488 shares in the company, valued at $81,783.92. This represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $179.00 to $174.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.